Chrono Trigger Funkey!
by heofon
Summary: A hopefully humorous retelling of the story of Chrono Trigger, nevertheless an accurate one. Predictably, it’s a slight CroMarle, but mostly a LuMag, at least eventually.
1. Chapter 01

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Note:** As the summary states, this is a yet another novelization of the story of _Chrono Trigger_. However, it differs from the ones I've read so far in few respects. One, all the original dialogue from the game was kept, word per word, including both the main scenes and the random dialogue of random NPCs. I do not wish to alter any of it, and only intend to add some, filling a few voids, most notably for Crono. Two, it is intended to be retold from a humorous perspective ('intended' is the key word here, mind you), although I will try to retain the solemnity when the original scenes call for it.

And thirdly, it will diverge somewhat from the original story, not by far, rather by addition than by alteration, towards the end of the fic, if I ever get to that point and not get bored of the project beforehand, that is. My intention is to make it partially a romance – a double romance, a Crono/Marle and then Lucca/Magus. With an extra challenge – while keeping them actually in character. Am I overly ambitious? 'Ain't that the truth!', to quote Lucca.

And now the real question – is anyone even going to review it, ever...? Only praying offers hope... Or maybe a human sacrifice is the way?

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_Chapter 01 - The Millennial Fair and the Return of the Queen_

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"Crono..."

"Crono!"

The relentless voice kept drilling through his sleep-numbed mind, in attempt to make him 'rise and shine', the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep long enough, she would go away... Vaguely aware that it was the last thing he should do, Crono cracked an eye open, trying to assess how persistent his mother appeared to be today. Predictably, she did not miss the minute movement on her son's part. She never did.

"Good morning, Crono!" she chirped and he knew all hope was lost. Now, she had him firmly in her merciless clutches – her benign, motherly visage didn't fool him one bit – and the visions of 'just five more minutes' he had been entertaining, quickly, and very disappointingly, mutated into 'dragging his sorry behind through another boring day'. ...Not that he would describe it as such to his mother.

"Come on, sleepy head! Get up!" His mother flashed him a knowing smile and in a continuing streak of cruelty yanked the curtains open, bathing the room in bright – and very unwelcomed – sunlight. Somehow, it made the strange ringing sound he had been dimly aware of for some time now even louder.

"Ah, Leene's Bell makes such beautiful music!" his mother sighed while his still barely awake thoughts lazily rolled around her words. Leene's Bell...? Yes, he decided finally, there was a bell named Leene's Bell in Truce. It was in Leene's Square, and both had been named after some past Queen of the Guardia Kingdom, of which he happened to be a citizen, as the back of his mind assured him. But why was it tolling...? The last – and only – time he had heard it was when the wife of the current King, King Guardia the XXXIII, had died, and he had been but a boy then.

His mother's words interrupted his thoughts, clarifying his hazed stipulations about who had died this time. "You were so excited about the Millennial Fair that you didn't sleep well, did you...?"

Crono's eyes shot open. That's right! Today was not just any day, today was the day of the Millennial Fair! Nobody had died, Leene's Bell was announcing the beginning of the Millennial Fair, which was _the_ fair, attracting visitors from all over the Zenan continent. It was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, literally, since the King organized the Fair to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Guardia Kingdom, which also happened to coincide with the current date – 1000 A.D. The next such occasion, if any, would happen in another 1000 years and he was quite sure he would never get a chance to see such a date come to pass.

His mother noticed the sudden increase in her offspring's level of consciousness and announced her motherly decree. "I want you to behave yourself today!" Crono replied with a thrown glance. For goodness' sake, he was eighteen, not eight! Not to mention that he had always been known as a 'good boy', despite the few boyish pranks he had on his account, none of which were particularly malicious, mind you.

Apparently grasping her son's message, his mother gave the issue a rest and headed towards the stairs. "Let's get moving, now!" she added cheerfully, walking down the wooden stairs and disappearing behind the rail. For once, Crono couldn't agree more. Today was a special day, void of fishing, farming or any random jobs around the town he often undertook while searching for that one thing he would like to do in life. Today he would meet people from all around the continent, would try exotic dishes, would inspect all the exotic goods and would generally enjoy the occasion as much as he only could.

Empowered by the prospect, he gingerly jumped out of the bed and quickly pulled on his customarily fiercely blue clothes – there was hardly a need for him to try to 'tone it down', his brightly red and oddly spiky hair made him stand out as it was. Just as quickly he tied his katana to his sash, happy to recall that he had heard of an arms' dealer from outside the Zenan continent – how amazing was that! – who was to come to the Fair. Not that he would be able to afford any fancy sword, at the moment he couldn't afford even any _real_ sword, only a wooden practice sword. But who knew, maybe he would find some special, ultra exceptional, incredibly cheap offer...

For sword fighting had always been a dream of his. It went hand in hand with his dreams of adventures filled with unbridled heroism, of rescuing helpless – and beautiful, let's not forget beautiful, he was male after all – maidens, of being this or another Hero, admired for his skills and bravery. True, he was old enough to know that almost every boy entertained such fantasies, but... Even now, being technically and practically an adult – despite his mother's general attitude - he still often dreamt that somehow, in some miraculous way, he would get his adventure, just _one_, he wasn't greedy, that he would become a skillful swordsman, with a real sword, that he would rescue at least one maiden.

Sighing, Crono headed towards the stairs that led down and out of his room. Fantasies, that's what those were, nothing but fantasies. Not only was he in no way special – regardless of his oddly and yet naturally spiked hairdo, something that always made him feel somehow... exceptional, even if uncomfortable – but heroic adventures were simply a thing of the past now. Guardia Kingdom, and the entire Zenan continent for that matter, had been at peace for centuries. In fact, the Millennial Fair had been organized also in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the end of the last war. Queen Leene had been somehow connected to that war, he recalled vaguely, heading down the stairs, although he was not entirely sure how. If his memory served him right – and apparently it didn't, at least not in relation to history – during the class on that period of the Guardia Kingdom's existence, he had been too busy pelting Cyril Fieldnear with paper pellets to catch more of the story. Oh well...

"Finally!" his mother announced once he reached the ground floor of their small, cozy house. "By the way, that inventor friend of yours... Uh... you know...! Oh, dear, I've forgotten her name!"

There were times when he just couldn't believe his mum... How could she forget Lucca's name...? He and Lucca had been best friends ever since their first day at school, maybe because they both stood out so much. He with his spiky hairdo and Lucca with her huge glasses which proudly announced to the world that she was a first-class geek, born and bred.

"That's right, Lucca!" his mother recalled with his help, "Don't forget that she invited you to see her new invention!"

Incredible. His mother forgot Lucca's name – despite being friends with her parents! – and yet remembered something he had mentioned to her only once. This was certainly a new entry at the top of the list of his mum's bizarrely-selective-memory episodes. There were times when he wouldn't be surprised if she forgot _his_ name.

"Run along now," his mother continued cheerfully, once more adopting the 'you're five and you're not going to get any older in my mind, _ever_' tone of voice, "and be back before dinner."

Shaking his head in mild dismay and giving his cat a farewell pat – there would be hell if he ever forgot to do that before leaving the house – Crono headed out and towards the town of Truce. He and his mother lived on the outskirts of it, with only one neighboring house nearby, but he wasn't too bothered by the distance, it was no more than 10 minutes of a walk anyway. Truce wasn't that large a town to begin with, it was much smaller than Porre, the largest town of the Zenan continent, but it was significantly larger than a simple village. Plus, it was near the Guardia Castle, a bonus which added greatly to diminishing the mundanity of life.

Today however, it was not the King and his visitors from far, far away that was on everybody's tongues, but the Fair. Everywhere Crono went, he could hear people talking about it in excited, cheerful voices. Not that it was surprising, the last unusual event in Truce happened when the Snail ferryboat that offered a quick connection between Truce and Porre across the sea had crashed into the pier. And even that had been pretty mundane, the ferryman had slipped on a wet trout – its presence on the bridge remained a mystery, however – and fell onto the speed lever.

But the Millennial Fair was something different altogether and there wasn't a soul alive in Truce, or in all the Kingdom for that matter, who had not heard of it. At least so it seemed, judging from the crowd that Crono spotted the moment he neared Leene's Square, where the fair was held. Leene's Square was a square only by name, since it wasn't even in Truce proper, but rather, it stretched out on its outskirts, at the foot of the nearby mountain range. He was not entirely sure why on earth it was called a square, or who decided to build it in such a location to begin with, but it didn't matter in the slightest. Today, Leene's Square would see its finest day, housing the Millennial Fair, and many folks were pouring from all over the continent to see it. There were farmers and fishermen, young and aged, wealthy townsfolk from near and far and stylish looking soldiers from the Guardia's troops. All sorts of folks, in short.

Making his way through them all, Crono headed towards and under the heavily decorated gate and promptly engaged in visually devouring all the colorful booths, tents and stalls that had been set up in the square for the occasion. Only visually, for now, because he was going to first head over to where Lucca and her father, Taban, were setting up their new invention, to see if they needed any help. Doubtful that they would, after all, Lucca refused to even tell him what it was, quite an offense, actually. He had tested countless of her inventions, from the automatic butterfly catcher she created at the age of nine, to the – supposedly calming, in reality frightening – automatically rocking chair she whipped out but two summers ago. And yet now she wouldn't even tell him what was it that she had created!

So needless to say, he was determined to get an early glimpse of the 'invention of the lifetime', as Lucca enigmatically announced some time ago. Ignoring – for now only, of course - the races, the strength testing gizmo, the house of horrors and an invitation to the 'prehistoric' music concert, he squeezed his way through the constantly thickening crowd, heading up the lightly grey stone steps that led to the elevated parts of the square.

"What's the big deal?" he heard a small boy announce to his parents as he was passing them by, "So what if we won a war against a wizard hundreds of years ago!"

Crono didn't linger around to hear how the unfortunate boy gets chewed up by the group of elderly men standing nearby. Elderly men somehow always revered history, and especially war victories, something that perhaps came with the progressive deterioration of one's mental faculties accompanying aging, but personally, Crono agreed with the boy. It was ancient history, well, maybe not ancient, but _old_ nevertheless, and after all, past was past, that was all there was too it.

Wondering idly why some people assigned so much importance to past and history, he sped up the stairs, looking around the booths set up there and thus completely disregarding where he was going.

Omph! In his lack of attention he crashed into something soft and warm, something that yielded at once and flopped to the ground, but not before toppling him over to the ground too, somehow. In the process, they had knocked against Leene's Bell that was hanging right in his path from a small decorated arch. It rang briefly, raising a few cheerful voices from the crowd around them. Supposedly, those who heard the bell ring would have happy and interesting lives. Supposedly.

"Hey!" the young girl he had bumped into announced in mild protest, "Ouch, that hurt!"

Crono was about to apologize, but the girl beat him to it. "I'm so sorry," she said, getting up, dusting herself off and crouching down next to him, all in amazingly energetic movements. "Are you okay?"

Even if he wasn't, he would never admit it! She was not only a girl, but also a very attractive girl, a _very_ attractive girl. Slender and perfectly built, with sparkling green eyes and silky blond hair tied into a high ponytail. _Very_ attractive. 'It would take much more to take me down', was what Crono was about to say as he opened his mouth and collected himself from the ground, but the girl's attention shifted away from him already.

"Uh oh... My pendant!" She was frantically looking around, scanning the ground in the area. Or at least trying to, the people constantly passing by them made it quite difficult. "Don't tell me I lost it!"

Thanks to his advantage of a few extra inches of height, Crono was much more successful with the task, and quickly spotted a simple pendant lying on the stone pavement near a stall. It was a round bluish stone, cast in gold and held up by a simple gold chain, and he hoped it was the one she was looking for, since he couldn't see any other objects even remotely resembling a pendant in the vicinity. But if she was looking for trash, it would've been a different story... It was only the beginning of the first day of the fair, and yet already trash was beginning to pile up everywhere.

Squeezing through the crowd, he grasped the pendant before somebody kicked it away or crushed it and returned to the girl.

"Oh, thank goodness! My pendant!" she sighed in relief the moment she noticed it in his hand. "It has a lot of sentimental value! May I have it back?"

Crono glanced at her in surprise. Who did she think he was...? Some random bully who was just showing it to her to taunt her or something...? "Of course," he replied, dabbing his tone in nonchalance.

The girl smiled brightly in thanks, taking the pendant from him. "I came to see the Festival! You... live in this town, don't you!" She seemed excited about it, though Crono was very much lost as to why. There was nothing exciting about living in Truce. "I feel a little out of place here," she confessed with a shy smile, "Would you mind if I walked around with you for a while?"

Would he? It was like a slap on the back from the heavens, one saying 'you're gonna have a great day, Crono! You're hardly up and already a beautiful girl is practically asking you out!' He would have to be insane to say 'no'!

"Sure," he replied in a continuing streak of manly nonchalance, missing the fact that his reply was slightly disjoint with the form of her question.

But she got the gist of it nevertheless and began literally jumping up and down in joy, "You're a true gentleman!"

Crono's ego was pleasantly stroked and he firmly decided to make her hold to that opinion for as long as only possible.

"Oh, by the way...," the blonde added, smiling yet again, "My name is, er..."

Just what was it with people and amnesia today, Crono wondered briefly. Though, honestly, even his mother wouldn't forget her own name... he hoped.

"...um, Marle!" the girl, Marle, apparently, recalled finally, "And you're?"

"Crono," he replied, once more casually.

"Crono? What a nice name! Pleased to meet you! Now, lead on!" She said it all almost in one breath, confirming his earlier assessment of her as quite a lively and energetic person. Apart from being an outstandingly beautiful person, that is.

In his amazement that a girl like that would ever want to hang around with him – and seemed pleased about it too, somehow – Crono almost forgot about checking out what Lucca was up to. He could've forgotten just as well, it turned out, because the secluded area where Lucca and Taban were setting up their latest creation – Lucca's father was just as much a crazy inventor as she was, or maybe the other way around, she took after him after all – was guarded by two youngsters who quite firmly sent the two of them away, telling them to come back in a while.

Not that he really minded, truth be told. Now that he was accompanied by Marle, the fair's attractions seemed somehow even more appealing than before. And they spent the next hour trying out as much of what the fair had to offer as they possibly could. They checked out the 'Tent of Horrors', made a small bet on the races – losing, sadly – and even went to that prehistoric music concert, where he let Marle talk him into joining the 'prehistoric dance', which basically consisted of making an arse out of oneself, but since Marle seemed to enjoy it, Crono didn't complain.

In return, Marle did not complain when he spent over ten minutes simply admiring the weapons offered by the exotic swordmaker, Melchior, the one from outside the Zenan continent. He lived on the continent to the east, as he informed his customers kindly from behind his bushy white mustache, inviting them to come see him sometime, like they would ever get a chance to do that. And sadly, Crono couldn't afford even the simplest of the swords offered by the oddly clad swordsmith, not to mention the fanciest ones, costing thousands of Gil.

Casting them one last longing look, he finally pulled himself away from the display and followed Marle towards the soda guzzling contest. He guzzled like mad, but only managed seven cans, winning absolutely nothing, apart from an overly full bladder.

"You're awfully competitive, aren't you, Crono?" Marle laughed next to him, refusing to try it out for herself. Not that he could blame her.

"I'm having a great time," Marle added happily, bestowing him with another bright smile. And despite his uncomfortably full bladder, so was Crono. Marle proved to be not only a beautiful but also a very pleasurable companion. She was lively, cheerful and very easy-going, smiling happily over almost everything and seemingly having the time of her life, even though her simple yet expensive looking white clothes told him that she was not a plain farmer's daughter. She had not mentioned where exactly she was from, however, but since it would've been quite ungentlemanly to ask, Crono did not raise the issue. They were both having a great time and that was all that mattered.

Just as they had helped a little girl with a visible snot problem find her lost cat, they heard somebody in the crowd say that Lucca's invention had been all set up and so they headed again towards the northern part of the square. Marle was just as curious about what could it be as he was, since he had told her all about Lucca and her passion for science and crazy gadgets, but she still insisted on buying some candy first. Crono didn't object, she considered him to be a 'gentleman', and when a pretty girl considers you a gentleman, you simply have to live up to the reputation!

Yet when the vendor drawlingly informed them of the latest gossip, which was that the King was distressed over his tomboy of a daughter, Marle suddenly picked up her pace and pulled him further up north, to where they were heading to begin with.

"Step right on up, any of you who have the time and the courage!" Taban's loud voice welcomed them as they entered the secluded part of the square, "Our 'Super Dimension Warp' is the invention of the century!"

'Super Dimension Warp'...? Crono cautiously eyed Lucca's newest invention, craning his neck above the crowd. It consisted of two strange, round and elevated platforms, surrounded by a multitude of wires and what he assumed to be supporting machinery. It somehow reminded him of the 'intelligent' cleaning machine Lucca and her father had created just last year. Not so much in form, but rather in its potential functionality. The 'Ultra Amazing Cleaning Bot' had been a square box on wheels that was supposed to automatically clean away any trash from the floor – and for one short week the floor in Lucca's home was actually free of the thick layer of scattered books that normally covered it – but unfortunately, the machine attempted to 'clean away' also any living object standing on the floor, including him. And he took offense to being classified as 'trash'.

And apparently, he wasn't alone in his suspicions. "Lucca's inventions never work right," announced a guy to their right in an authoritative 'I know it best, even though I'm a moron when it comes to science' tone of voice. Some of Lucca's inventions did work right, even spectacularly right, and some were actually very useful, like her fire detector. But people tended to remember flops better than successes, at least when it came to beings other than themselves, so Lucca already had quite a reputation in Truce.

"To use it, jump here...," Taban continued coaxing the audience and gestured to the left platform, "...and you'll get teleported here!" He made a dash to the right one. "It's the masterwork of my beautiful daughter, Lucca." Hearing her name, Lucca turned to the spectators from where she was still working on something, waving at everybody and flashing them a smile.

"Check out that girl's glasses!" commented a young boy to their right.

"She could probably see the back side of the moon with those," agreed an elderly man next to him, shaking his head and also the dangling and dried up skin of his cheeks and neck that he could probably wrap around the moon, easily.

It was true, though, that Lucca's glasses were very thick. She was as shortsighted as a mole, well, nearly as shortsighted anyway, and her glasses could easily serve as the proverbial bottle caps. It didn't help either that they were as unfashionable as can be, and made her eyes appear tiny and indeed mole-like. Lucca didn't seem to care much about it though, she generally didn't care about being pretty or 'womanly', as her clothes clearly manifested. She wore an orange and green loose top that would make any fashion follower scream bloody murder, completely unmatching black shorts and thick and sturdy boots. Her short and practical do of violet hair – violet hair was a rarity even among the people of Zenan, many of whom had green hair – was squashed even further under a heavy cap/helmet sort of thing she wore at almost all times. It had little to do with protection of her uppermost appendage, however; its purpose was mainly to hold up the recording and transmitting device attached to it over Lucca's right ear. She often had a million ideas a minute and needed something to capture such a brainstorm quickly. The device served its purpose well enough, but unfortunately it also gave Lucca a habit of muttering to herself, something that did not improve her image of a 'mad scientist' in the slightest.

In all factuality however, Lucca was not bad looking at all. Crono could remember the few times when she would let herself be talked – usually by her mother – into dressing in a more feminine manner. It never lasted longer than a few hours before she would become irritated with the impracticality of such 'nice' clothes and abandon them in favor of her usual attire, but it proved for all to see that if she wanted to, she could pass for an attractive girl, easily. It was just that she didn't give a damn about it, always saying that looks were nothing more than appearances and like all appearances could easily be deceiving. Not to mention that there were more important things in life than attracting boys who would fall for appearances.

Crono had to agree with such a line of thinking. True, he knew himself well enough to know that he was a sucker for a pretty face, but even for him just a pretty face wasn't enough to hold his interest. Although, he added, glancing to the pretty blond girl he had just acquainted, sometimes a face cold be pretty enough to hold his interest for quite some time indeed. But Marle seemed to have other, just as pleasing, characteristics and he regretted that she would probably leave Truce once the fair was over.

Taban coaxed the audience again, inviting any volunteers to test out the 'Super Dimension Warp', but there were no apparent takers. Crono sighed dolefully. That was his cue, and his duty as a friend. He had been the test subject for Lucca ever since they were seven and apparently today would be no different. Not that he was scared; he trusted Lucca's inventions wouldn't maul him, at least not permanently, and he could take an occasional electrical shock or two.

Ready to face his impending doom, or at least pain, Crono made his way through the crowd, with Marle close behind him, and approached Lucca.

"Crono!" the mad scientist jumped up once he reached her. "Where have you been? No one wants to try the Telepod!"

She was playing innocent, acting as if she was not expecting him to volunteer, but he had seen through such tactics over ten years ago. And sure enough, her eyes instantly sparkled with even more of the false innocence. "How about you?"

"It looks like fun!" Marle exclaimed from behind him, executing a few excited jumps of her own. "I'll watch while you try it out!"

"Just hop onto the left pod!" Lucca flashed him a satisfied grin, obviously too preoccupied with her invention to ask about his new friend.

Hoping that this time he would manage to escape unscathed, Crono obediently clambered up the pod. Taban and Lucca instantly latched themselves onto the supporting machinery, eliciting an ominous buzz from it.

"All systems on!"

"Begin energy transfer!"

Crono felt himself being pulled in all possible directions and closed his eyes shut, preparing himself for the worst. Yet as a few seconds passed and nothing bad seemed to have happened, he ventured to take a peek at his surroundings, only to find himself already on the right pod. And as amazing as it was, he was still in one piece, and despite a slight tingling sensation crawling up his skin, he was no worse for health.

"It... worked! I can't believe it!" For a moment there, Taban let his facade slip, but soon remembered his fatherly feelings. "Uh, er, a thrilling display of science at its best, ladies and gentlemen!"

A collective 'wow' rose from the crowd, and suddenly there were many who were more than eager to try it out. Marle was one of the newly converted, and standing much closer to the pods, she beat all others to it.

"What a kick! I want to try it, too!"

"Huh?" Lucca finally noticed that Crono didn't come alone. "Hey Crono, how did you pick up a cutie like her?"

Crono shot his friend a warning glance, signaling her not to blow his cover. He was trying to impress the girl, not have her know that her presence in his company was indeed a one-in-a-million strike of luck for him!

Fortunately, Marle wholesomely ignored Lucca's comment. "Hang on, Crono!" she exclaimed over her shoulder, vigorously approaching the pod, "I'll be right there!"

"Behold, ladies and gentlemen," Taban resumed his MC duties, "as this vision of loveliness steps aboard the machine!"

"Don't go away," Marle flashed Crono another smile, "I'll be right back!" Rejecting Taban's whispered advice that there was still time to reconsider – Taban was as much a sucker for a pretty face as Crono himself – she hopped onto the pod.

"Okay, everyone," Taban addressed the crowd once more, "let's give her a great big hand when she reappears!"

The two inventors began pressing switches and levers again, once more eliciting a shrill buzz from the contraption, and the audience watched in rapt attention. Apparently, the combination of a working invention of Lucca's with a girl as pretty as Marle held some irresistible appeal. Crono had to admit he could see why.

He was also curious to see how it looked from an onlooker's point of view, having been on the receiving end of it before, and so he watched just as attentively. If this 'Telepod' really worked, really transferring a person from one place to another, then it was indeed an invention of the century. But when Marle's pendant began glowing, brighter and brighter with ever passing second, Crono began suspecting that it wasn't how it was supposed to go, and Marle seemed to agree with him.

"What's happening?" she asked with a slight tinge of worry, glancing down to the shining stone. "My pendant... it's..."

"Huh?" Lucca finally noticed that something was wrong, and the two inventors stopped their manipulations at the machine's consoles, but it seemed too late already. Crackling streams of energy erupted among the wires and levers, pushing the duo away. And right in front their very eyes, a large bluish whirl appeared between the pods. Before anyone could regain their stunned senses enough to voice their opinions on the matter, Marle was sucked into it, and her shocked face was the last thing they saw before the whirl disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared.

"Lucca!" Taban demanded, jumping back to the machine once the crackling of energy ceased, "Where is she!"

But the growing shouts and whistles from the crowd made him turn to the immediate reality of their situation and he hastened to salvage as much of the initial success as only possible. "Show's over, folks! Let's head along now!"

Reluctantly, the crowd poured out back to the main square, among quizzical glances and astounded comments.

"What's going on Lucca?" Taban demanded once more, turning to his shock-stricken daughter, "WHERE IS SHE?"

Lucca collected herself, and unlike her father, for whom marketing was the main problem here, she focused on the scientific basis of the unexpected phenomenon. "The way she disappeared... It couldn't have been the Telepod! The warp field seemed to be affected by her pendant..."

Taban ignored her hasty analysis. "What are we going to do now?"

"She's so familiar!" Lucca muttered to herself, ignoring him back, "I KNOW I've seen her somewhere..."

Crono slowly shook himself out of the shock of seeing his newly acquired friend disappear into the mysterious blue whirl. It wasn't important where Lucca could've seen Marle before in his opinion, he agreed with Taban, what mattered now was what were they going to do about it. They couldn't just abandon the girl! And not only because there had been so many witnesses who had seen her disappear on the pod, but simply because it wasn't right! They had to do something!

A shimmer from the left pod caught his eye and he absentmindedly headed towards it, still dazed by the whole experience. It was Marle's pendant, he found, inspecting his find. Somehow, it was left behind, lying on the blue flooring of the pod. Whether it fell because the lock was faulty or whether Marle was quick enough to leave it behind on purpose didn't matter at that point. What did matter was that it was, as Lucca stipulated, the initial source of the problem. A plan began forming itself in Crono's head and his insides clenched a bit.

"Do it again," he told Lucca, picking up the pendant and stepping onto the pod. "Do exactly what you just did. I'm going after her."

"Crono!" Lucca exclaimed, shaken out of her frantic contemplation.

"You're actually going to do it!" Taban turned to him, noticing the pendant in his hand and grasping his intentions. A faint glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. An exploding flop of an invention was one thing, but a flop that disappeared somebody was a completely different story. If they couldn't bring the girl back, there would be a hell to pay. "What a fine lad!"

Truth be told, Crono was not feeling like a 'fine lad' at all. He was feeling... apprehensive, not to say downright scared. A faint whisper in the back of his mind was telling him that this was the adventure he had always wished for. A beautiful maiden, clearly in distress, needed rescuing – it was the epitome of a heroic story, but... he was not feeling heroic at all. Who knew where the blue whirl led to, as far as they knew it could lead to nowhere, instead just shredding its victim into a million tiny and bloody pieces, a prospect Crono did not enjoy in the slightest. But he couldn't just let it be, just ignore the whole thing and pretend it had never happened. It just... wouldn't be right! Even if he didn't know the girl at all, even if she had been a spotty teenage boy instead of a cutie that she was, it still wouldn't be right to just abandon her!

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Crono nodded in confirmation.

"Listen!" Lucca's analytical mind quickly reached a decision. "I don't know where this machine is going to send you, but we haven't any other choice."

"Won't they both be lost?" Taban questioned, mostly out of a sense of decency.

"This is our only hope!" Lucca was just as aware as her father that disappearing a test subject would mean an end to their inventing days, if not to their lives. Or at least freedom. Not to mention that despite being a mad scientist, she had enough morals to be ridden with guilt all over if the girl was never found. "That pendant seems to be the key, so hang onto it Crono, and brace yourself!"

And he did. His insides doing some more flip-flops, Crono braced himself with all his might, struggling to keep his eyes open. Soon, the mechanical buzzing filled the area once more and again he felt himself being pulled in all directions. But this time the pull was different. It was more forceful, more demanding, almost... alive.

The pendant began shimmering again, energy sizzled around them and from a corner of his eye, Crono could see the blue whirl reappear between the pods. Without as much as a warning, it sucked him right inside itself, into bluish nothingness.

"I'll follow you after I know what went wrong!" Lucca shouted behind him and he sincerely hoped that she would, and that there was somewhere, anywhere, to where she could follow him, anything but nonexistence. "Good luck, Crono!"

Leene's square disappeared from his view, replaced by endless whirls of blue. He was being hurled through that blue void, unable to stop or to make out anything of his surroundings, anything other than the blue. There was nothing he could do but to endure and hope that it would end before his life did.

And miraculously, it did. In a blink of an eye, a gaping hole opened in the eternity of the blue and he was unceremoniously spat out onto a green forest clearing. Expressing silent thanks to the deity that had been so merciful, Crono picked himself up and quickly inspected all his bodily appendages. Everything seemed to be in order, no broken bones, no open wounds. Sighing in relief, he shifted his attention to his surroundings. It looked somehow... familiar. True, all forests looked alike, at least all average forests, but he could swear that the general atmosphere was somehow known and familiar to him.

If he was lucky, really, _really_ lucky, Crono thought, pushing through the reddish undergrowth of the forest, he had been transported but a few miles away from Truce. The possibility seemed to be confirmed when something rustled in the bushes nearby and three blue imps jumped out at him, smirking smugly in their customary manner.

Imps – small, 2 feet high creatures, with their large, round and split in the middle heads that looked like, well, basically their hinder parts – were a part of the magical folk that was often called the 'Mystics'. Truth be told, they were not particularly magical, or if they were, they were doing a magnificent job of hiding it, since Crono was yet to see an Imp do anything even remotely magical. Yet they were generally considered a part of the magical world and as such were held in contempt by most humans. The fact that their main occupation in life was pestering humans did not improve their image either. They inhabited most forests of Guardia, ambushing humans and taunting them by a variety of methods, the most civilized of which was stretching their mouths and sticking out their tongues. The less civilized included flipping the finger and pulling down their shorty short-shorts to moon the unlucky passer-by. They looked downright ridiculous in the process – like two asses connected by a back – but it seemed to matter little to them. Or they just didn't know, never mooning each other.

Those humans who were stupid enough to fall for the taunts usually got toppled over, roughed up and mugged out of all their valuables. For the Imps, like most magical folk, were sentient beings, capable of speech and reasoning. Well, speech at least. And they had many needs that could only be satisfied by a steady income. The fact that being thus mugged pissed the humans off royally was just an added bonus.

Fortunately, the Imps – regardless of their color variety, for they came in many – were generally weak and unthreatening. Their battle tactics consisted of jumping at the opponent, kicking his shin and then jumping away with a smug smirk, occasionally high-fiving another Imp on the way. It hurt like hell, of course, but unless you were inattentive or inept enough to let yourself trip over one of them – they would jump on the victim like a swarm of flies then – there was nothing to worry about.

Crono pulled out his wooden sword and whacked the as ever smug Imps generously over their indecently shaped heads. As always, they seemed utterly surprised to be hit. For some reason, they never saw the blow coming, no matter how many times they had been thus whacked before. Their expressions frozen in shocked disbelief, they wobbled and fell unconscious to the ground. Some people killed Imps, or any other magical creatures, but Crono never did. They could be annoying as hell, true, but compared to him they were pretty defenseless, so it just didn't seem right. Instead, he did what he always did to Imps, and what seemed only fair – mugged them. Sadly, they carried but a few Gil each, apparently being smart enough not to take large sums of money with them when they went to 'work'. Perhaps they had learnt this obvious tactics because many people shared Crono's views and mugged the Imps regularly, or maybe they just never had much money, blowing their 'earnings' on whatever it was that Imps blew money on. Who knew.

Pondering the matter idly, Crono continued through the undergrowth and arrived at a small creek that was winding its way among some rocky ledges. The ledges were connected by wooden ladders and pathways, making him think that perhaps he had wandered into an Imp colony of sorts, but it mattered little. The good news was that a) he was still alive and b) it seemed that he had indeed been transported only a few miles away from Truce.

Carrying on through the ledges and whacking – and mugging – a few more Imps on the way, Crono finally arrived to the end of the forest path, reaching a final ledge that allowed him a good view of the area. Yup, he decided, inspecting the horizon, he was still somewhere near Truce. He could clearly see the tall towers of the Guardia Castle in the distance, and he doubted there could exist two identical castles of this kind in the world. Then all he had to do now was find Marle, make sure that she was alright and escort her back to Truce.

Now that the tightly clenched feeling in the pit of his stomach that had accompanied him through the whirl dissipated somewhat, he was actually feeling disappointed that his heroic escapade would end so quickly. Whacking Imps hardly counted as heroism, however loosely one would define 'heroism', since after all, he did it almost every other week, treating it as the cheapest sword practice opportunity he could get. And an extra income source.

But along with the slightly disappointed feeling, there was another thought in Crono's head, steadily making its way from the back of his mind to the forefront. There was something downright wrong with what he was looking at, something that should be there, but was not. Frowning, he focused once more on his surroundings, his eyes traveling between the Guardia Castle, the mountains behind him and the seacoast he could make out in the distance.

The sudden realization hit him and his eyes widened in surprise. Holy hell! Where he stood, right at the foot of the mountain, he should be in the middle of Leene's Square! But unless thick forested areas counted as squares nowadays, Leene's Square just... wasn't there.

Blinking in astonishment, he repeated the process of surveying his surroundings, sure that he must've made some mistake. But no, no matter how much he scanned the area, the bottom line remained the same – somehow, during his voyage through the blue whirl and the Imp-fested forest, Leene's Square had mysteriously evaporated from the face of the Guardia Kingdom.

But Truce... Truce should still be there, right...? Jumping down from the ledge and making his way through the trees that were obstructing his view of the town's location, Crono quickly reached a convenient vantage point and sighed in relief. The town was still there, and the familiar red and brown roofs, and customary creamy walls of the town's short buildings were quite a sight for his suddenly anxious eyes. Yet... he couldn't not notice that somehow, the town seemed... smaller than before. And that clock tower on its right side, where he had made out with Penny Clearwater when he was fifteen – where was it...?

And as he entered the town, he noticed that it wasn't the only difference. The buildings were the same only in style, but in practice many were missing, or were replaced by a completely different edifices. Many shops were missing from where he usually found them. And the people looked different too, somehow... older. Well, they looked their ages alright, but their clothes looked older. Many wore capes and gloves, most had old looking swords at their sides and ridiculous looking hats. In his bright blue pants and shirt, he stood out like a sore thumb.

Somewhat staggered, he headed to the first place that offered potential information, and which actually was where it was supposed to be – the Truce Inn. Entering the stylishly wooden establishment, he asked the first person he saw – a soldier in a strangely historical armor – the first question that came to his mind.

"Where am I...?"

"'Where am I?'," the soldier repeated sardonically, rolling his eyes. "Are you stupid? THIS is the kingdom of Guardia! We're battling Magus's army."

He was speaking in mock loudness and clarity, as if his interlocutor was a complete and utter moron, but Crono had absolutely zero brainpower for any witty comebacks. "Magus's army," he repeated numbly, his mind reeling.

"You DID know that, right?" the soldier eyed him suspiciously and Crono dazedly confirmed, quickly making his way out of the Inn, before anyone questioned him more.

Flopping down heavily onto a stone bench nearby, he sat among the sunny, quaint streets of what both was and wasn't his home town, his mind trying to cope with what he had just heard. As oafish as he was when it came to history, he recognized the name 'Magus'. It was the name of the wizard against whom Guardia Kingdom had fought its last war, four hundred years ago. ...Or at least it had been four hundred years ago an hour ago, for right now it seemed that it was _now_, _zero_ years ago. As unbelievable, mind-boggling, skull-numbing as it seemed, somehow, Lucca's Telepod had thrown him 400 years into the past, into the midst of the war.

Still unable to fully incorporate the reality of it into his mind, he idly recalled all that he knew about the war, in budding regret that he hadn't paid more attention during that class at school. But from what he could remember, the war hadn't been against Magus per se, but rather against the Mystics – the magical creatures of Zenan. Although Guardian history taught that the Mystics attacked the Kingdom in an attempt to destroy all human life, he had always suspected that they simply had enough of the constant abuse they would unceasingly receive from humans.

For humans, all magical creatures were akin to animals – no rights protected an Imp, for example, from being hunted down and killed by a human. Magical folk were usually referred to as 'monsters', and even those who lived in harmony with humans were regarded as lowly and filthy, slaves at best. Unlike the Mystics, humans were void of magic and viewed it as somehow degrading and vile. Those humans who possessed even a slightest spark of magical abilities in them – there were some – strived to keep it a secret. It was fine now – in his time, in 1000 A.D. that is – such people were mocked and looked down upon at most, but he could recall that in the past – that was _now_ for him at the moment – some were quite harshly persecuted for displaying magical abilities.

It was hardly surprising then that the Mystics would eventually get pissed off and attack the humans. What was surprising was that they would be organized enough to do it, since various groups of Mystics frequently fought against each other. From what he could recall, that was where Magus came in. A powerful mage, whose true name remained a mystery for all, since he was simply called either 'Magus' or 'Maou', the Demon King, unless 'Magus' really was his true name, in some bizarre coincidence of familial intention and sonly outcome, he had somehow united the Mystics and led them into a war against the humans.

And unsurprisingly, they had been quite successful at it for many years of the long war. Imps were near harmless, true, but they were pretty much at the bottom of the magical chain. There were countless other, much, _much_ more dangerous magical creatures out there, some who enjoyed feasts composed of human flesh, some as huge as mountains, some downright undead.

And yet, the humans had won in the end, driving many of the Mystics away from the Zenan continent altogether. He couldn't recall the details of the victory however, other that it had happened in the year 600. But what he could recall was enough. He knew now where – or rather when – he was, and since he was not planning on getting involved in the war, there was no need for him to know more. What he did know was enough to allow him to fit in, at least enough to find Marle, which was still the priority.

Straightening his back as he sat on the bench, Crono drew a deep breath and formulated a plan. As unbelievable as his surroundings still seemed to him, the bottom line remained the same – he had to find Marle and then wait with her till Lucca arrived. He had no doubts that the maniacal inventor would manage to find some way to get here too. If something was doable – and time travel apparently was, as proved by his current situation – then in her outstanding genius she was the one to be able to do it.

Reassured, he nodded to himself and moved on to the execution of the plan – finding Marle. Truce was large enough for the two of them to keep missing each other endlessly if he set out to search for her blindly, so he should better ask around if anyone had seen her. Revitalized by having a plan and finally beginning to cope with the reality, or rather the unreality, of the situation, he got up and re-entered the inn.

Straining his ears, he listened on the conversations held in the dining/pub area, and among countless gossip and war news – the Mystics had destroyed Zenan Bridge, apparently – he finally managed to fish out some promising bits. It seemed that Queen Leene – he _knew_ she was somehow related to the war! – had been lost, presumably abducted by the Mystics, but was found this very day. Found wandering in the very same mountains where he had been spat out by the whirl, and where in all likelihood Marle had ended up too. So if the search party had found Queen Leene there, it was quite likely that they had also found Marle in the process. Nobody would pay attention to a simple girl when the Queen was in danger, true, but they would undoubtedly rescue her as well.

Which meant that he should go to the Guardia Castle and ask around. Even if Marle was no longer there, at least he would learn if she had been found at all. Satisfied with that line of reasoning – and with his powers of deduction – Crono marched out of the inn again and towards the impressive castle in the distance. It was located beyond the Guardia Forest, but it shouldn't take him longer than thirty minutes of a quick walk to get there. Unless he ran into more Imps that is, since they enjoyed camping around the road that led to the Castle, knowing that many humans traveled past it on regular basis, some foolish enough to carry valuables and venture into the woods without neither a weapon – although a sturdy stick was all it took to bring an Imp down – nor an escort.

And although he did run into a few Imps and Rollies – round, green creatures that could fold themselves into a ball and bounce on their victims mercilessly – he made good time in getting to the Castle.

It was only as he entered the main gate that it occurred to him that perhaps he stood out a little too much to be let into the Royal Castle just like that, especially in the times of war.

"Who goes there?" demanded one of the royal guards, obviously not too apt, since otherwise he'd be out on the front lines of war.

"Check out that hair!" commented another, one with a large pimple on his nose. "Where're you from, son? Are you one of Magus's troopers?"

He most certainly was not, and the soldiers didn't seem to be serious anyway. "Hardly!" the first one laughed. "This kid never would have made the cut! Show us your stamp collection, son!"

"Har, har!" The pimple-nosed one found the joke absolutely hilarious. True, Crono was not too tall or massive, especially for his already more or less adult age, but honestly, the clearly pubescent soldier was hardly better off than him in that department. "Now beat it, shrimp!"

Hardy har har indeed, Crono gritted his teeth, unsure what to do. Making a few well-placed jokes was what he would enjoy the most at the moment, yet he wasn't here to start brawls, but to search for Marle. And he was quite sure that beating up royal guards – he was equally sure he could beat them up indeed – would undoubtedly prove to be a hindrance in the process.

"Stop that at once!" demanded a female voice from the main staircase of the castle, the one the soldiers were guarding, interrupting his considerations.

"Queen Leene!" The soldiers bowed down respectfully the moment the elegant lady descended half-way down the stairs. She was definitely a beautiful queen, with silken blond hair, green eyes and an immaculate figure in a stylishly white, frilly dress. And her face was awfully familiar, even from a distance...

"Show your manners!" the Queen demanded. "This is a friend of mine!"

Since Crono was absolutely certain that he had never, ever, met Queen Leene before, then unless the Queen had tried out some funky mushrooms during her escapade to the forest, that was not Queen Leene at all.

One of the soldiers dared to protest. "But there's something odd about him!"

The supposed Queen Leene fixed them with a very stern and a surprisingly royal look. "You refuse to obey my orders!"

The soldier whimpered at once. "Forgive me, my lady! Please enter, Sir!"

And once the Queen let out a very conspicuous giggle and backed up the stairs, 'Sir' Crono did indeed enter, ignoring the half-envious, half-resentful grumbles of the guards, and hurried up the stairs and through the lavish corridors decorated with royally scarlet carpets and gold-strewn draperies hung on the stone walls, towards the equally lavish throne room. King Guardia the XXI was apparently inside, as another guard positioned outside informed him, while the other guard of the pair instructed him to mind his manners.

Minding them indeed – he had no desire to end up in a Middle Ages jail for offending royalty – Crono entered the throne room and approached the amiable looking King.

"Sir!" King Guardia the XXI brightened up in a smile, "I understand that you are the one who saved my dear wife, the Queen!"

Eh...? That is, sure, if that was the official story. Crono smiled back sheepishly.

"But can you tell me what happened?" the King continued while Crono felt a nervous twinge ran up his spine. Well, he could tell the King what had happened to _him_, but that would probably earn him a comfy spot in a loony bin, if they had any in the Middle Ages, that is.

"Leene's acting rather odd," the King frowned, talking more to himself than to Crono. "And she seems to have lost her coral pin, which is something she guarded with her life..."

"Forgive me!" the King caught himself and focused on Crono again. "You must be tired. We can talk about this later. Please rest in the Knights quarters, downstairs, to the left."

The audience over, Crono bowed and removed himself from the royal presence, glad that the King was so well-mannered as to postpone his questions. And although he was indeed a bit tired – and mostly hungry, since he had had only some candy and soda today so far and it was past noon already – finding Marle, ergo having an honest chat with Queen Leene, was the priority. He wasn't entirely sure how he was to get about to doing that, since the Queen was missing from the throne room, but fortunately, some actually impressive looking – for a change – royal guard approached him at that point.

"The Queen seems to be waiting for you upstairs in her room," he informed the spiky-haired 'hero' with a slight hint of uncertainty in his voice. Still, royal orders were royal orders, and the boy looked human enough, so who was he to question the Queen's decrees?

Following the man's directions, Crono quickly clambered up the countless stairs of the tall tower in which the Queen resided, noting that being royalty was apparently not as 'comfortable' as one would think – he'd hate having to toil up those stairs every single day!

"The Queen awaits," informed him another impressive looking guard at the top of the stairs and the slightly whizzing Crono followed yet another long and lavishly decorated corridor before finally entering the Queen's chamber.

The Queen was looking out through a tall, arching window, seemingly ignoring the two servants in the room, but as soon as the heavy wooden door creaked open, she turned around to face her guest. "Ah! There you are."

"Please leave us," the Queen gestured vaguely to the maids, "I need to talk to this individual."

"Certainly, your Highness." The maids bowed and left the room, but not before casting a few curious glances at the 'individual'.

The Queen smiled coyly at him. "Come nearer, Sir."

Quite sure that Queen Leene was not Queen Leene at all, especially now that he got a better look at her face, Crono did indeed come nearer, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. She really was milking it for all it was worth, wasn't she?

The 'Queen' giggled gleefully once he approached her. "Fooled you, didn't I, Crono?'

Not wanting to spoil her fun, Crono made a surprised and questioning face.

"It's me!" Marle announced joyfully. "But everyone calls me, Leene!"

"No way," Crono replied in fake astonishment, both feeling relieved that he had indeed found her and in a way owing her the fun. If she hadn't been with him when he went to see Lucca's contraption, she would never have to go through the whole ordeal. She laughed merrily again, pleased that he had been fooled, but then her pretty face grew more serious and she turned away from him slightly.

"I'm so relieved you're here!", she confessed quietly, and her downcast eyes told him that even though she seemed to be having fun now, it must've been quite a different story when she had found herself alone in an unknown to her forest. Not to mention 400 years away from home. "We barely know each other," Marle continued quietly, idly playing with a lock of her golden hair, "but somehow, I knew you'd come for me..."

She turned back to him with a small and warm smile and for the first time since the beginning of their odd adventure, Crono really felt like a hero. True, so far he hadn't done anything heroic as such, but he _had_ been ready to be heroic if need be. And he _had_ jumped into a mysterious whirl of energy for no other reason than because she had been pulled into it. But even if that didn't count, her smile made him feel like it did and he felt ready to do a million times more.

"Of course I would," he replied, smiling back, and her smile deepened.

"Thank you, Crono!"

But as they were smiling at each other, somehow joined by the moment, a strange greenish tinge fall upon the chamber and they both felt a pull of mysterious energy.

"S, something's wrong!" Marle gasped in surprise, looking down at her hands in astonishment. "W, what's happening! It feels like... I'm being torn apart!"

"Help me, Crono!" She was being lifted into the air as if by a set of invisible strings. Crono rushed towards her. "I'm scared! Please... Crono... h, help me!"

He hastily reached out to grab her and pull her down but his hands met only air, even though he could clearly see her petrified eyes. She was fading right before him, still there and yet already being somehow half-transparent and intangible. Crono looked around frantically, searching for _anything_ that could somehow help, but before he even surveyed the whole room, Marle's figure grew fainter and fainter until she simply vanished into thin air.

Crono blinked in shock, his eyes fixed on the spot where Marle had been just a second ago. What happened to her...? Had she been transported to yet another era of history...? But there was no Telepod here! And she didn't even have her pendant! Frowning in frustration, Crono wished Lucca was there with him. He wasn't an idiot, not at all, but Lucca's unbelievably vast brainpower, especially when it came to science, would've made a very welcome tool at the moment. As it was, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Had the world gone mad...? Had he gone mad...? Maybe he had actually taken the liberty of 'just five more minutes' this morning and was still asleep...?

Nearly growling in frustration, he slapped his forehead, trying to force some discipline into his thoughts. But it was to no avail, he still had no idea what the hell had just happened there, where was Marle, how to get her back and most importantly, what was he to do now. For all the contemporary people in the castle knew, he had just disappeared their queen. If such news broke out, a comfy spot in the loony bin would be but a pleasant dream.

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Liked it in any however remote way? Then please review! Pretty please with Crono on top! Even if you're reading it in some post-apocalyptic world where I no longer exist!


	2. Chapter 02

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews:** Woohoo! I got some reviews! So the human sacrifice really did work! I mean... uh... What bones? ...I don't know you people!

**zipis1: **Thank you and I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it, especially getting a light feeling out of it. I was aiming for such an effect, since playing _Chrono Trigger_ always made me feel like that. As for the LuMa part, in a strange way it begins even in this chapter ;)

And yes, among severe blushing I have to admit I meant 'wheezing'. I have a knack for making such typos and this one outdid my former winner of 'fool moon'... Thanks for pointing it out:)

**Sa'avryn:** Thank you very much! Actually, in some bizarre way, this story is writing itself very fast for me, which is perhaps why it's not all that polished and re-read. I do intend to reedit it at some point, so please bear with me! ;)

**GoldenSunGeek:** Thank you! Personally, I played _Chrono Trigger_ pretty late in my RPG-fan career, but it's still one of my all time favorites, if not _the_ favorite. And despite its prehistoric graphics, I still rate it 10 out of 10:)

**SaiyanLegend1:** Thank you and yes, I think my version of especially Crono is a bit nonstandard. But I first played the game without the animated movies, so my take on the characters' personalities was based on their pixel-lumped forms. I'm glad to hear it's still likeable!

**Note:** As noticeable in this chapter, I introduced some minor changes to the story. Nothing major, only little things to make the story flow more coherently. Moreover, this chapter is still very fast and not very detailed, but I hope it's still acceptable. Personally, I've always felt that their real adventure begins only once they find out about Lavos and that's when I intend to start adding more details and extra events. The problem with novelization is that everybody knows the plot, so it's quite difficult to keep the readers' attention while not adding or altering anything. I can only hope I'll somehow manage to do that. Go me! ;)

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_Chapter 02 – Save the Royal Family!_

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Still dazed beyond all reason – for the second time that day, by the way – Crono hastily pondered his options. He couldn't just stay in the Queen's chambers, sooner or later somebody would come over and notice that the Queen was as gone as can be, and undoubtedly blame him for it. So that left only two options – he could make like the wind, or any other motion simile, and go hide in the town while waiting for Lucca, or come clean about the whole ordeal to the amiable King Guardia the XXI, in hope that he would actually take him seriously.

In either case, it was clear to him that he shouldn't stay in the Queen's chamber any longer, and so he moved to leave, as nonchalantly as he only could, especially when passing by the two dismissed maids who were still lingering on in the corridor.

"Has she dismissed you already?" one of the maids asked him as he was casually strolling past them. "You were polite, of course?"

He nodded slowly, but the maid pressed on. "You didn't do anything... funny, did you?" She had an unmistakable spark of gossip frenzy in her eyes and he momentarily wondered what kind of a wild party was going on in her head. Feeling relieved that her questioning was related only to her interest in royal dirt, he put on an indignant air.

"Of course not!"

Ignoring her disappointed sigh, he continued past them, briefly meeting the tired eyes of the guard who had let him in here before. The maids were standing right next to him, and apparently he had been subjected to a dangerously high dosage of gossip. Being at the front and facing the undead probably seemed like heaven to him at that point.

Casting the trio out of his mind, Crono headed down the endless staircases, considering the two options before him carefully. Scram, come clean, scram, come clean, he changed his mind every other step. Scramming and waiting for Lucca seemed much safer, but it also seemed very cowardly and very non-heroic, and he'd rather not hamper his budding career of a hero in such a careless manner.

Nearing the end of the final staircase, he was also nearing the decision to come clean after all, but to his immense relief a familiar voice delivered him from his distress.

"Crono!" A panting Lucca appeared in the corridor and ran up to him among pained wheezing. He wondered briefly how she had managed to get past the guards, but actually, it often seemed to him that there were very few things she couldn't do.

Lucca took a few deep breaths, crouching over slightly. "...you're okay! Did you find the girl?"

"I did," Crono replied, eager to dump his predicament on his intellectually blessed friend, "but she's gone now. Completely gone."

Lucca jumped up in surprisingly nervous manner. "GONE! Whaddaya mean she's gone!"

Drawing in a deep breath, Crono proceeded to account for all that had happened to him since he had been dumped by the blue whirl onto the future site of Leene's Square.

Lucca listened attentively, and once he was done, took her time to analyze the new input of facts. Crono waited patiently for the cogs of her perpetually busy mind to reach their conclusive turn and enlighten him too.

"Hmm... it's just as I thought," she announced finally, focusing on her spiky-haired friend again.

"I knew I recognized her! And," she looked around carefully, fixing her thick glasses further up her nose, a habitual gesture of hers, "this looks identical to the castle in OUR time!"

"I'll bet they mistook that girl for her ancestor..." 'Ancestor'...? Crono frowned questioningly. "You see, she's a member of the royal family in OUR time! She's Princess Nadia! Marle, that is, Princess Nadia, is a descendant of Queen Leene!

Holy mother of damnation! Crono felt his jaw drop slack. She's the princess! The tomboy of a daughter the King was constantly worried about! If it wasn't for the other bizarre and mind-numbing events of the day, he would've certainly done a back-flop over this one! But as it was, having been hurled 400 years into the past only to see Marle – Princess Nadia! – vanish before his very eyes, it took him only a few moments to overcome the initial shock. And it certainly did explain how come she had been so easily mistaken for Queen Leene, being her descendant and all. Before, he had just assumed that it was some odd coincidence, one supporting a theory he had once heard about, which said that everyone had a doppelganger somewhere in the world. Or in history.

Seeing that he was getting over the news, Lucca launched into the remaining part of her elucidating lecture. "Queen Leene has been kidnapped. As I recall, someone was supposed to have saved her. But history has been changed! Marle looks so much like Leene, that they probably called off their search when she appeared here. But if the real Queen is killed... Marle will simply disappear."

Crono digested the explanation carefully. Yes, he could grasp the main idea. If Marle's great-great-great- etc. etc. –grandmother was killed, before she had given birth to any offspring, Marle would have no right to exist.

Lucca pointed an energetic finger to his face, apparently having regained her stamina somewhat. "There might still be time! If we can save Leene, history as we know it should remain unchanged! We have to find the real Queen!"

Crono nodded his vigorous agreement, and they would've set off to search for the missing Queen at once, but unfortunately, neither had any idea where to begin their quest. The best thing they could do was to first gather all the information they could around the castle, and if that proved unsuccessful, go back to Truce and try there. Crono had a vague feeling that there had been someone in the Truce Inn, some colorfully dressed guy named Toma, who claimed to be a famous explorer and also to have some noteworthy information on the Queen. He had been willing to sell the info for some cider, but deflated substantially once he had heard that the Queen had been found. Hopefully, he was still there and his information was indeed worth the cider.

But first, they circled around the castle, picking up many various pieces of many various conversations. Slowly, a coherent image began to emerge from those pieces. Apparently, there used to be a beast called Yakra lurking in the western forest, but it disappeared once the cathedral, which both of them had seen in the distance on their respective ways to the castle, had been built. Interestingly, in 400 years, there would be no trace of any cathedral left in the western forest. Even more interestingly, they learnt that the Chancellor, a dried up, nervous fellow with a long white beard who looked a lot like the Chancellor from their time, had been acting suspiciously lately, sneaking out at night, as strange as it was. But one of the maids refuted such rumors, claiming that the Chancellor was a decent man, since he went to the cathedral everyday. Clearly, she was only a maid for a reason.

Even if it wasn't related to the Queen, it was still obvious to them that there was something dodgy going on with the Chancellor and the cathedral, and both agreed to go check it out. But not before Crono finally managed to grab a free meal in the dining room. The food there was great, despite the odd names of the dishes, and Crono enjoyed a 'Power Stew', while Lucca took the chance and the 'Hyper Kabob'. They also witnessed an energetic tiff between the Chef, who, as the rumor went, had a nasty temper, and the Knight Captain, a tall, stern man clad in a lavishly golden armor. As a waitress informed them, the two were brothers, and their brisk tiffs added to the local color.

Crono's hunger satisfied, they hopped over back to Truce, mugging a few more Imps on the way. Lucca insisted that they stock up on medicinal supplies before venturing into any shady places, and Crono admitted her point. Medicinal items were one of the very few instances of magic generally accepted by humans, maybe because everybody claimed those were just mixtures of herbs, none whatsoever magical, and could indeed come in very handy.

"No window shopping! Whaddya want?" growled the ruff-n'-tough, yet podgy shopkeep and they went for a hefty amount of tonics and a few ethers, as many as they could afford. Tonics, oddly enough not resembling tonic in the slightest but rather being the perfect example of green goo, healed the body, while ethers – considerably more expensive but also substantially more appealing, a very important factor since unlike tonics ethers were to be taken orally – restored one's energy. Of course, there were limits to what they could do. No tonic could reattach a cut-off limb, and no ether could ever replace sleep. It restored one's energy alright, no matter how flat out tired you were, but still left you with the majestic pain-in-the-ass headache of sleep deprivation. Ethers were annoyingly expensive, but they were well stocked-up on them, having had swiped a few from the castle during their search for information, neither experiencing any moral qualms about it. After all, they were about to save the Queen and thus the Kingdom, so surely, a few medicinal items were a very moderate price for such a feat.

And in Truce Inn they found Toma, who was not only still there, but was also tanked full of cider, the mighty explorer that he supposedly was. The sun was still not past the horizon and yet he was already wobbling dangerously on the high bar stool he occupied, hiccupping occasionally. They didn't need to buy him any more cider, he mumbled out all he knew on his own, and that was that the Queen had disappeared while visiting the cathedral, which only confirmed their suspicions. Giving him a healthy pat on the back – his head thudded heavily against the wooden counter then – the newly appointed keepers of the Guardian history set out for the cathedral.

The cathedral stood within the western forest, at least an hour's walk, fast walk, away from Truce. It didn't matter how much time their adventure took them, however. Lucca had always been free to go where she wanted; her parents were too preoccupied with their own lives – inner or outer – to have the time to smoother her with parental care. And Crono was already late for dinner anyway, a capital offense in his mother's eyes. Which meant that the later he would get home – and thus the more time his mother had to forget the transgression – the better.

As they walked on through the plains and forests, Crono felt a slightly nervous ball settle in the pit of his stomach. According to what they had heard around the castle and the town, many believed that it was Magus who was behind the Queen's disappearance. And as sure as Crono was that he could take on a nearly infinite number of Imps, he was also quite sure that the dark mage who had almost overcome the mighty Guardian Kingdom was ever so slightly out of their league.

"Oh, please," Lucca rolled her eyes when he voiced his doubts, "you're too old to believe in that magical mambo-jumbo."

Well, that was her stand on the matter – that there was no such thing as magic. She didn't deny that some creatures, even some humans, had the powers to control the elements, but in her opinion it could be easily explained in a rational, scientific manner. Bringing forth the lightning – they had seen a Mystic do that once – was one thing, but all the arcane hocus-pocus, secret spells offering all the power in the world, mythical potions promising eternal youth – all that was nothing more than the 'superstitions of the simple-minded' to her. Needless to say, she was one of those who believed that tonics and ethers were just mixtures of herbs. Crono had his doubts.

Lucca did indeed disparage all believes in magic of any sorts. In her science-bent eyes, every phenomenon in the world had a rational explanation; it was only a matter of finding the correct one. And magic was nowhere near 'correct'. Thus, she wasn't at all worried about being magically turned into stone, or whatnot, during their escapade to the cathedral. Even if it was crawling with Mystics – which was yet to be proven anyway – the dangers they would face were of the tangible sort, not spiritual. And against physical threats she had her trusty Air Gun – her own creation against the pesky Imps – that hefty amount of medicinal potions they had just bought, and an innovative mini-sized flamethrower. What they should fear was not magic, but numbers.

In all honesty, she even doubted that Magus as such ever really existed. Unlike Crono, she had not spent that class pestering Cyril Fieldnear, although it was a tempting idea, he was an annoying git with eternally greasy hair, but rather on a heated argument with Mr. Riverbed, their history teacher. She had dared him to point her to even one remotely believable account of somebody who had actually met Magus in person, since for all she knew, none such accounts existed. There existed some written stories of supposed battles against Magus himself, but all were so over-colored that they were clearly confabulations, created most likely to cover up for the incompetence of the Guardian army during the war. She wasn't asking for much, she had told Mr. Riverbed, just something like a peace settlement signed by the alleged dark mage, who – incidentally – had quite conveniently disappeared into thin air after the war, never to be heard of again.

Mr. Riverbed had not been in the mood for her antics – she was well aware that the teachers used to call her 'Little Miss Know-It-All' behind her back – and haughtily replied, in a rickety paraphrase, that there were more things in heaven and earth than were dreamt of in her philosophy.

"Sure," she had replied at once, "but competent history teachers aren't among them."

She had been given a note to her parents for that – an empty threat since neither of them cared much – but it only served to strengthen her conviction that 'Magus' – what a lame and obviously fake name! – had been an imaginary creation of the Mystics, who needed an almost god-like figure they still believed in and worshipped in many parts of the world, to unite them and give them a sense of purpose in their war against the humans. And the humans happily lapped the story up and used the invented golden calf as a scapegoat, so to speak, one that could be blamed for their appallingly disastrous battle tactics.

Grumbling to herself over the annoying memory, Lucca focused instead on her historical surroundings. Despite the general gravity of the consequences messing around with history could have, this was a unique opportunity to study the past in a close-up and she was not going to let it pass her by. She wasn't even all that concerned about any possible punishment for disappearing Princess Nadia, apart from an unbelievably huge moral hangover, that is. If the Princess was wiped out from history, then she would have never existed in their time and thus nobody would ever notice her being gone. But the problem was that Queen Leene's death could have other serious implications for the flow of history, changing the world as they knew it beyond recognition. When she was leaving their times, everything was as it had always been, but it was still before time had caught up with them. So if they went back now, they could even discover that Guardia Kingdom had lost the war and Zenan was now the land of the Mystics. It was an interesting concept, and Lucca was determined to study it in-depth later, but now they had to ensure that they still had somewhere to return to when the accidental adventure was over.

When the hour of walking was finally over, they reached the western woods and the cathedral. Even in the growing dusk, it looked engaging and as unthreatening as can be. It was built in the classically warm Guardian style – with a reddish slopping roof and creamy walls. They could even see a few flowerbeds outside. It was hard to believe that there was some foul ploy being cooked up inside, but as both knew well, appearances could be deceiving.

Entering the establishment, they found only four nuns inside, looking nunly enough, at least at the first glance. On closer inspection however, they could plainly see that all had strangely elated and yet vacant eyes, and oddly stiff smiles plastered on their unremarkable faces. Their 'welcoming' comments didn't improve the impression that something was off here either.

"You might like to stick around for the organ recital. It's a real killer!" said one, blinking her blank eyes at them.

"Oh dear! It looks like you could use some food and a place to... rest!" added another, with a very unholy grin.

"Err... sure, whatever you say," Lucca replied, fixing the glasses up her nose. She was not religious, and thus had little experience with nuns, but it didn't take a genius – and she actually was one! – to know that either those nuns had spent the morning chugging the cider with Toma, or they had hit the bullseye in coming to the cathedral.

Crono wasn't paying attention to the nuns though, but instead to the unnatural sparkle near the altar that had caught his eye, and he moved closer to inspect the object.

"What did you find?" Lucca hissed after him in a conspicuous whisper – she had never been theatrically gifted, unless falsely innocent blinking counted as acting.

"A hair pin," she decided, when Crono picked the item up and they examined it carefully. Something at the back of Crono's head was telling him that somebody had mentioned a hair pin earlier that day.

Lucca jumped up suddenly. "That's Guardia's royal crest!"

It sure was, which meant that the chances of finding lost Queens in the area had just skyrocketed. But apparently, it was not going to be the nonviolent kind of a rescue operation. The nuns noticed them find the abandoned royal property and trotted over among ominously dark chuckling.

And before they even had the time to think about reaching for their weapons, the four nuns erupted into bluish flames and instantly transformed into four foul, and clearly Mystic, creatures.

Crono could actually recognize their Mystical species. Those were Naga-ette's - large, larger than any human, siren-like entities with purplish hair tied into high topknots. Actually, they were siren-like only in respect to the general principle of having their top halves shaped in human fashion, and their bottom halves shaped like thick and homogenous long tails. And in wearing only bras. But other than that, they were as un-siren-like as only possible – thick and sturdy, Naga-ette's had perpetually twisted faces and mouths constantly open in unceasing hunger. Their clawed hands seemed to be forever searching for something to satisfy that hunger with; preferably human flesh, from what Crono could recall.

The odds were not all that bright for the two of them. Naga-ette's were very strong and fairly resistant, so it would take quite a few whacks from his wooden sword to bring one down. It also didn't help that their breaths smelled like dog crap, to put it mildly. Supposedly, it was a side effect of drinking too much Naga-ette bromide, a very potent spirit that was a secret delicacy for many humans. And since they kept their mouths constantly open, the cathedral was soon filled with the nauseating and eye-watering stench.

But luckily, Naga-ette's were not known for brilliant battle tactics, so if they stayed focused, they should make it through. Crono was soon busy jumping at them, or rather at one at the time, to whack them solidly when their attention was away, while Lucca was keeping that attention away with her gun and her inventive flamethrower.

And although the flamethrower was an immensely useful tool – he still preferred an old-fashioned sword though – Crono didn't particularly like it when Lucca would use it. The implement as such wasn't to be blamed for the sentiment however, it was rather the fact that Lucca would cackle maniacally while using it, making his skin crawl in irrational anxiety. At such times, she was the embodiment of why 'mad' had been put into 'mad scientist'.

But fortunately, the mini-battle didn't last long. Too long, that is. Thanks to their superior coordination – Naga-ette's often bumped into one another, considerably decreasing their chances for victory – they managed to put them out of commission for at least rest of the day in but a quarter of an hour.

"Phew!" Lucca sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose, "That was close!"

It was even closer than she thought. An extra Naga-ette had been hiding behind the altar and it chose that exact moment to jump out, its long hands stretching out hungrily towards the unsuspecting scientist. It probably would've made it, or maybe even managed to take a bite or two out of Lucca's shoulder, but the unlucky inventor had been saved at the last moment by a most surprising savior.

A creature, neither a man, nor a frog, jumped out from the shadows, reaching for his sword in the process, and walloped the Naga-ette down in one, well-aimed strike.

"Lower thine guard," the 'frog' said, sheathing his sword, "and thou'rt allowing the enemy in."

The two friends stood still, or rather were flopped down to the floor in Lucca's case, their eyes wide at the newest addition to the scene. The creature croaked casually and fixed them with a questioning glance. "Thou'rt here to save the Queen? The lair is deep within. Will thee accompany me?"

Apparently, whomever he was, he was a creature of few choice words, one who didn't waste his time on idle prattle.

Lucca finally shook out of the initial surprise and former fear. "A... a FROG?"

It was a redundant observation, especially coming from a supposed genius. The creature was clearly frog-related, if not a frog as such. He was fairly short, reaching five feet at most, and although clothes – Middle Ages traditional gloves and cloak included – kept most of his body hidden from their sight, his head was as froggy as could be. Round and brightly green, it incorporated bulging eyes, long tongue and a few randomly placed warts.

"Crono," Lucca whimpered slightly, "it's a talking FROG! I hate frogs!"

She really did, and it was probably one of the very few, if not the only, customarily 'girly' features of Lucca's. Rats, mice, bugs and snakes – none fazed her one bit, but frogs she just couldn't stand. Taban had once told Crono that in her childish and careless curiosity Lucca had fallen into a well full of frogs when she was four, but Lucca claimed that no trauma was needed to make her dislike the slimy amphibians.

The frog croaked again. "My guise doth not incur thy trust... Very well, do as thee please. But I shall save the Queen." Offering them a curt nod, the green savior began walking away.

Lucca collected herself, realizing how rude she had just been. "W, wait! You don't seem like a bad... uh, person-frog-thing... I mean..." Damn, there she was, constantly preaching that appearances could be deceiving and then she discriminates against somebody only because he looks like a frog! And not just anybody, but somebody who had just saved her hide! Sighing, she turned to Crono for assistance. "Crono! What should we do?"

Crono had been waiting for her to regain her composure before making any decisions. Personally, he was all for taking the frog up on the offer. Not only would they need all the help they could get, if the frog's info was really correct and the 'lair' was deep, but also he could recall somebody in the castle say that the Queen had a frog-like servant. So the frog was trustworthy and apparently knew his way around. Nothing but benefits.

The problem was whether Lucca would be able to handle it. He could still remember how when they were twelve, Crissy Fairweather had dumped a frog down Lucca's shirt. Crissy Fairweather was a clear case of an unambiguous airhead – wind frolicked unobstructed between her ears and a hair out of line was almost a criminal case for her. For obvious reasons, Crissy Fairweather downright detested Lucca, who had refused to kowtow to the unofficial queen of the superficial. But Crissy, and most of the school for that matter, had paid a great price for her frog-down-the-shirt trick. Lucca proved then that there was one girly thing she excelled in – screaming. Her unbelievably loud screeching was so ear-blowing and piercing that he could swear people on the other side of the Zenan Bridge had heard it. And their ears too kept ringing for hours to come.

But she seemed composed enough now, so he supposed they could try the option out. "Let's go with the frog," he replied and Lucca heaved a mighty sigh.

"I'll just have to handle it! I mean... deal with... him!" Suddenly aware that she was only digging herself an even deeper hole in the grounds of social inaptitude, Lucca jumped to another topic. "What's your name?

Their new acquired companion regarded them silently for a few moments, perhaps already regretting ever offering them his companionship. "Frog will do."

"All right...," Lucca took a deep, calming breath. "Nice to meet you, Frog."

And after completing the hasty introductions, the newly found party of three returned to the original issue – finding the Queen. She was not in the cathedral proper, that much was clear, since they were the only ones there, but as Frog had mentioned, the lair was deep.

"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh?" stipulated Frog, while Crono and Lucca exchanged quizzical glances. 'Mayhap'...? "Let us search the environs."

'Environs'? questioned Crono, but followed Frog's suggestion nevertheless and indeed searched the environs. They all did, for over half an hour, even checking under the red rugs fashionably laid out in the cathedral, but all for 'naught'. Their moods deteriorating substantially, they were on the verge of taking the whole damn building apart, when Lucca accidentally found what they had been looking for. With a tired sigh, she absentmindedly sat down on the organs, and when the discord and haphazard sounds filled the spacious building, they also caught an unmistakable sound of rock sliding over rock. And sure enough, part of the wall in the back had slid away, uncovering a set of doors.

"Woohoo!" Lucca announced joyously. With that, they finally entered the 'lair'.

Inside, they quite predictably by now found the whole place to be crawling with Mystics, of many various kinds, including the Diablos, deceptively cute in their ghastliness mini-devils with mini-wings and a kicking mania. Lucca and Crono mostly aimed just for knocking their opponents out, not all that sure how they felt about killing Mystics. After all, so far most of their experiences with fighting Mystics were related to the Imps, and it just didn't feel right to kill an Imp. But Frog didn't experience such qualms, slashing the magical creatures left, right and center, with some gruesome satisfaction in his yellow bulging eyes. Crono recalled hearing at the castle that supposedly Frog had been turned into a frog via a spell, and it looked that he had kept a grudge over it. But it didn't seem all that polite to raise such a personal topic, especially after insulting him about it before, so he let it be.

On the other hand, Frog proved to be a surprisingly good swordsman, even despite his incredibly bowled legs. He actually gave Crono a few excellent pointers and Crono missed no time in putting them into practice. He was beginning to feel that the adventure could turn out quite beneficial to him after all, and his spirits were lifted even higher when they had run into a Mystic with a sword. The poor fellow got cut almost in half by Frog, but despite his sympathy, Crono quickly picked up the suddenly master-less weapon. Finally! He had a real sword!

Yet he didn't start using it at once, still unsure how he felt about actually killing somebody, Mystic or not. His life had been very much on the peaceful side up to that point, and the closest he had ever gotten to killing a living being was when he went fishing. And the Mystics weren't animals, although it seemed to him that Frog might actually think so, in harmony with the popular belief of the era. Yet a sword was a sword, and so he stashed it away behind his sash.

They quickly made their way towards some even more inner parts of the place, where they had been met with a surprise. The Mystics around them no longer attacked them, or paid them any attention, as if it was totally natural for them to be there. The puzzling phenomenon was explained quickly though, when they entered a room with three Mystics inside, currently at dinner.

"Hey," a Diablos turned to them with a burp, "what with the disguise? No need for them here!"

That's right, they realized, remembering how the nuns in the cathedral had changed into Naga-ette's. Apparently, the Mystics had the means to make themselves appear human, and thus, not having seen the trio forcibly enter their lair, assumed that they were simply still in their human disguises.

And that was not the end of the surprises, they found, when a customarily plump Hench broke out into casual conversation. "Yakra's so smart! His plan to capture the Chancellor and take his place worked perfectly! Now the Queen's captive, and the castle's in an uproar. This is rich!"

And so there was light. And some relief on Crono's part that they would not have to face off with any ultra powerful wizards, only 'Yakra', whoever that was. But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, the Diablos got up from the table.

"It's almost my shift," he sighed, crumpling his mini-gargoyle like face, "I hate pretending to be human... it's so repulsive. I'll look in on Magus's statue before my shift."

Lucca rolled her eyes. There it was for all to see, another proof of the nearly religious cult of the nonexistent figure! But she had to admit that she actually felt curious to see how the Mystics could possibly have depicted the alleged mage. And so, she grabbed Crono's arm and pulled him after the hard-working Diablos. Frog followed them with a surprisingly stern expression on his froggy face.

What they found after tailing the Diablos through some stone corridors and entering the room where the Mystics kept the statue, made Lucca nearly cough up her lungs in suppressed laughter. A group of Mystics, all with unbelievably mushy and adoring looks in their eyes, were engaged in a chant-like song. Their voices were generally coarse and clearly not intended for musical careers, but they made up for it, or at least were trying to, in enthusiasm.

_Oh... dearest Magus..._

_Your flashing eyes... like stars..._

_And flowing hair..._

_Like waves atop the sea..._

Biting on her lip to hold back the laughter that was threatening to spill out of her and thus blow their cover, Lucca focused on the statue instead. It was heroically styled and placed on an elevated platform, in harmony with the surreally sweet adoration that was pouring out from the Mystics around them, but it was also very much surprising. She was expecting various things, a ten-foot high gargoyle for example, but not a human, and the statue, despite being rather vague and generic in details, clearly depicted a human. With 'flowing hair' indeed. And a scythe.

_No sad sunny day nor any frightful_

_Bright place can get us down_

_As long as you're near..._

_There's nothing to fear..._

Crono seemed to be having similar problems with keeping his cool, since he was getting progressively redder and redder, and only Frog was still as oddly stern as he had been. Lucca intended to pull Crono out of the room before one of them got them in trouble, but it was too late already. A Diablos nearby broke out into a falsetto solo and she couldn't hold it in any longer. Doubling over, her glasses sliding down her nose, she laughed long and hard to her heart's content. The Mystics cut the song short and after a few moments of surprised blinking finally realized that those particular humans – and one frog – were not in disguise at all.

For a short moment it seemed that the heroes-to-be would meet their end at the feet of 'dearest Magus's' effigy. There were simply far too many Mystics in there for them to prevail, and the magical creatures seemed far too riled up over Lucca's indecorous outburst. But as the Mystics were closing in around them, Crono found the way out, literally. Grabbing the sleeve of the still chuckling Lucca, he pulled her towards the door, swinging his sword around wildly to clear the path. Frog apparently grasped Crono's intentions, since he followed them without delay, covering their backs.

They darted out of the room, narrowly missing the clawed hands of some Naga-ette's. Crono quickly grabbed the first thing in the vicinity – an ornate candelabrum – and lodged it in between a crack in the floor and the door's handle. It wouldn't hold the magical creatures in for long, but the time it offered was enough for them to make themselves as scarce in the area as only possible.

But it also meant that they couldn't dawdle any longer. As soon as the indulgent Magus worshippers got out of the room, every single Mystic in the 'lair' would be after them, and it was hardly a pleasing concept. And so they hurried through the long stone corridors – all surprisingly inlaid with comfy red carpets – whacking, scorching or downright slicing various magical behinds on the way, opening secret passages and narrowly avoiding a few booby traps. And after nearly an hour of such spirited activities, they finally found what they had been looking for. In a large chamber indeed deep within the lair, they spotted an elegantly dressed woman, whom they could easily mistake for Marle, in the company of the long-bearded Chancellor.

It appeared that they had made it there just in time, for the Chancellor was approaching the petrified looking Queen with a devilish grin on his wrinkled face. "Prepare yourself, Queen Leene."

The three saviors wasted no time in running towards the fake Chancellor and his intended victim. The Chancellor noticed them at once and his eyes narrowed in disdain. "YOU! How did you get in here?"

"Frog!" To say that Queen Leene sounded relieved would be a major understatement. Her pretty face light up in relief all over.

"Majesty," Frog replied with a courteous bow, "stand back and allow us the honor!"

The Queen gathered up her white frilly dress and obediently moved aside. "Be careful!"

The false Chancellor chuckled darkly. "It's useless to fight! No one will leave here alive!"

"Stupid frog!" he continued, backing away slightly, "It's time you jumped off this mortal coil!" Suddenly, he erupted in bluish flames they had seen not so long before, and in a jiffy reverted to his true form, that of Yakra.

Yakra turned out to be a large amorphous blob of yellowish hide, with a disproportionally big head endowed with a hairy snout, and with oddly spiky limbs. In short, he was heavily on the hideous side.

But he also turned out to be surprising fast, uncomfortably fast in all honesty. He leapt at the group swiftly, nearly impaling them on his spiky extremities. They jumped away, quickly organizing themselves into an efficient formation. Lucca stayed away, diverting the beast's attention with well-aimed blasts from both her gun and the flamethrower. Yakra seemed to dislike fire in particular, shaking and shrieking whenever he was thus scorched. That was when Frog and Crono would leap at him to deliver blows from their respective weapons.

Frog was determined and effective, slashing the beast mercilessly whenever he could. And Crono was beginning to discover that his wooden sword was nowhere near enough to get through Yakra's thick hide. Moreover, it was clear that this time, just knocking their opponent out wouldn't be enough. If they let Yakra go, he would undoubtedly cook up some new insidious ploy against the royal family, a family whose well-being lay heavily on their hearts since the future depended on it. So this time, they had to take their opponent out permanently and Crono was to have a hand in it.

He really shouldn't have any moral objections about it, heroes slew various beasts all the time, and it did seem morally justifiable at the moment but... he just couldn't help feeling somewhat queasy. Actually, he was feeling queasy enough not to feel afraid at all, only a little apprehensive at most.

Frog delivered another slash to the beast, while Lucca was aiming for another shot, and Crono reached his decision. Clenching his teeth, he reached for the katana at his side, his slightly sweaty fingers gripping the hilt tightly. When Lucca fired her shot and the beast shrieked madly, turning its attention towards the scientist, Crono leapt forward and imbedded the sword deeply into the monster's side. It was not a fatal wound, but some greenish, pus-like blood began oozing from it. Yakra roared loudly, turning back to the newly-made slayer and Crono quickly rolled away from its reach. Rolling, he inspected his feelings. He didn't feel any different inside now than he did a moment ago, apart maybe from a sudden adrenaline rush. So it was that easy to kill somebody...

The battle didn't last long after that, perhaps because they were quite lucky and nobody got impaled on Yakra's spikes. A few cuts and bruises was all they received, while the beast got a storm of slashes and gushes. Crono delivered a few more blows, feeling progressively less and less uneasy about it.

Finally, Yakra shook violently and with a feeble whimper thudded onto the floor, its long red tongue rolling out of its hairy snout. The greenish blood kept oozing out of its wounds, and the pungent smell of the pus-like secretion was quickly filling the chamber. Crono looked down to the blood-stained sword in his hand, feeling a slight sensation of distaste at the back of his throat. It was of no matter, he decided firmly, shaking the pus off from the blade, he'd think about it later.

The deed done, they collected the still somewhat shaken Queen and even managed to find the real Chancellor, tied up and stuffed into a nearby closet. It was not entirely clear to them why Yakra had kept him alive, perhaps to milk him for information on how to play the Chancellor, but what mattered was that he was alive, the Queen was alive, and they were only slightly worse for health.

Fending off a few more Mystics on their way out of the cathedral, the party set off to return to the castle. Lucca said that if they had indeed set history right, Marle, that is Princess Nadia, should reappear exactly where she had disappeared. Crono sincerely hoped that it had indeed worked, since otherwise they'd be in a serious fix, not having any other ideas.

Outside, the dusk was already in full bloom, although since it was already late spring, surprisingly enough both here and in their own time, the days were long and nightfall came late. As they walked towards the castle, Crono took a better look at the real Queen Leene, to whom he had already returned her coral hair pin, receiving a warm smile of gratitude. She really could pass for Marle, or the other way around, with no problems at all. From what he had heard in the castle, the Queen had married into the family ten years ago, meaning that she had to be somewhat older than Marle, but she was so well-preserved that if he didn't know better, he would've easily mistaken the two himself.

And it seemed that the King pretty much adored his young looking wife, since once they reached the castle and he finally grasped that this was the real Leene, one that was not behaving odd at all, his face lit up with immense relief. Lucca and Crono remained in the back, not wanting to disrupt the joyous occasion, but strangely enough, Frog didn't experience such qualms.

"I failed to protect Queen Leene," he announced, stepping forward with a solemn croak. "I hath disgraced thee."

The Queen was about to protest, but he would have none of it, and turned to the King. "'Twas a fault of mine, which endangered the Queen. I shall depart for good."

And with that, he pivoted around, his cloak billowing behind him in an odd air of amphibian duty, and marched towards the exit.

"Crono," he decreed, pausing in his steps, "you hath potential to be a good swordsman."

"Thanks," Crono replied absentmindedly, not entirely sure what to think about the situation. If Frog really felt somehow responsible for the Queen's misfortunate adventure, then wouldn't it make more sense that he stayed at her side and strived to protect her even more from now on...? But admittedly, Crono wasn't too fluent when it came to medieval honor, so perhaps estrangement really was the answer.

Lucca pushed the glasses up her nose, looking towards the departing green bodyguard. "Froggy, you weren't such a bad guy yourself." It was a lot coming from somebody whose screaming whenever in the presence of a frog could easily wake the dead.

But what's done, it's done, they decided, and leaving the royal couple to themselves – and a multitude of guards and servants, of course – sped up the countless staircases towards the Queen's chambers, where the future Princess had disappeared before. Or rather they would've sped up, wasn't it for the fact that Lucca was in no shape for such marathons. Having lost her breath quickly, she was clambering up the stairs heavily, grumbling occasionally. It was like Crono often told her, staying cooped up at home, like some antisocial hermit who valued machines and books more than people, was not good for one's health. And he had no objections towards telling her so again.

"Oh, shut up," she panted out crossly in reply. Crono grinned back at her. Clearly, she was cut out to be the brains of adventures, not the legs.

But even the long, torturous climb had to end sometime, and thus they finally made it to the Queen's chambers. Only to find the shadows-filled room thoroughly empty. Not even one lost Princess inside. Crono was even tempted to look under the bed, just in case, but controlled himself.

Frowning in anxiety, he turned to his still panting friend, who had collapsed onto a chair nearby. "So what are we going to do now?"

Yet before Lucca had the time to catch her breath and come up with some plan, bright shimmering light exploded in the middle of the room, blinding them momentarily. When they finally regained their vision, Marle, Princess Nadia, was standing there already, looking as intact as could be.

"Huh?" She looked down to her hands, blinking confusedly. "What happened?"

"Princess Nadia!" Lucca shot up from her chair, revitalized by relief. She was really beginning to think that she had involuntarily gone a step too far in her inventing passion.

But Marle had a different favorite. "Crono!" she exclaimed, a sudden spark in her green eyes. Yet then some memories of what had happened seemed to have come back to her and her eyes darkened considerably. "It was awful... I can't recall it all... I was somewhere cold, dark... and lonely. Is that what it's like to... die?"

Neither knew what to reply to the Princess's metaphysical question, so they stood there in awkward silence until Lucca decided to skip that part of the conversation and cleared her throat. "Welcome back, Princess Nadia!"

It was only then that the Princess finally noticed that Crono wasn't there alone and she turned to Lucca with a surprised expression. "You risked your life to help me, too!" But the moment didn't last long. "Princess... Nadia...! Uh oh... I guess you guys figured it out, huh? Sorry, Crono. I didn't mean to deceive you."

Suddenly somewhat sullen, the Princess turned her royal eyes away from them. "I'm Princess Nadia. My father's King Guardia the XXXIII. I really enjoyed being with you at the fair. But if you had known my identity... Crono, you wouldn't have shown me around the fair, right?"

To be perfectly honest, the day had been far too long for Crono to have the energy to ponder the matter in detail and candor. But he knew what the right answer was, and delivered it firmly. "Wrong."

"Oh, Crono! That's why I like you!" The Princess was practically jumping up and down in joy, but caught herself quickly. "The real Queen's safe, right? So let's go home, Crono!"

Not entirely sure how they were to that, since he had somehow forgotten to ask Lucca how she had gotten here in the first place, taking it as a given that she would, Crono turned to his brainiac friend. Lucca, who was currently rolling her eyes behind the Princess's back, just shrugged and fixed the glasses up her nose. "Oh, let's just go."

She was obviously not feeling impressed with the Princess at the moment. Crono could see why, but personally, he was against classifying her as an airhead. True, she had been acting a bit too 'girly', especially for Lucca's tastes, but considering that she had led a secluded life of a princess, it wasn't all that surprising. Yet despite having grown up in a golden cage, the Princess evidently wanted more from life than that, and it counted for a lot in his opinion. He could name many girls who would love to swap places with her, and who would spend the rest of their lives looking down on everything and everyone. Actually, he was feeling quite impressed that she had ventured into the Millennial Fair without the escort of her royal guards. Clearly, there was more to her than just a pretty face and an easy-going manner.

The object of his thoughts was currently busy smiling at the people around her, who were mostly exchanging comments on how amazingly like the Queen she looked. They had not informed anyone that she was in fact a descendant of Queen Leene, something that would've probably added to the gossipy chatter around them even more, so it was indeed a mind-boggling phenomenon for the contemporary inhabitants of the place.

The comments accompanied them all the way through the castle, until they finally reached the front gates and, borrowing a torch on the way, set off for Truce Canyon, that is Leene's Square in the future. It was already dark outside, meaning that the adventure had taken them an entire day in total, but oh well, all is well that ends well, right?

After the short walk, they reached their destination and quickly found the place where the blue whirl had spat them out originally. The Princess looked around the area in confusion. "How do we get home?"

"Your Highness, er, Princess... we..." Lucca had little experience in addressing royalty, especially royalty that kept ignoring her.

But the Princess waved her hands dismissively and demandingly. "Please call me Marle!"

Lucca quirked an eyebrow. She had never been too fond of formalities herself and thus the Princess had just reinstituted herself in Lucca's good graces. Partially, that is. "Well then, Marle... Observe!"

Reaching under her unfashionable top, Lucca quickly pulled out a small metallic device. Moving more or less towards where the whirl had deposited each of them at some point in time, she clicked some buttons on the gadget. As if called forth by a potent spell – although Lucca would bristle up at the magical comparison – the blue whirl blossomed once more before their eyes.

"Wow!" Marle was clearly impressed. "Lucca! You're amazing!"

Lucca cackled to herself. "Ain't it the truth! Oh, um... I mean..."

"Enough with the false modesty!" Marle waved her hands again. "You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!"

Lucca blushed slightly. "Well, if you say so..." Needless to say, Marle had just not only made up for her earlier faux pas, but firmly established herself in Lucca's mind as a worthwhile gal. Crono grinned to himself. There you go, he knew that the Princess had more to her than just a pretty face.

"Anyway," Lucca continued, pushing her glasses up, "I call this thing a 'Gate'. It's a kind of portal that takes you to the same location in a different era. Gates are very unstable, so I used the principle behind my Telepod device to create a 'Gate Key'. Now we can use them as we please!"

Crono had to admit that this time Lucca had outdone herself. Not only she had somehow managed to recapture whatever that was that the combination of Marle's pendant and Lucca's Telepod did, but she had actually done it in less than two hours! Had he ever entertained any ideas of being Lucca's intellectual equal, they would've shattered now with a loud bang.

Marle frowned slightly, obviously thinking about something different altogether. "But why did this Gate suddenly appear?"

Lucca tapped her chin. "Either the Telepod had something to do with it, or... something else made it."

"This is getting pretty weird," Marle sighed. "Let's at least head back to our own time!"

"All right!" Lucca nodded her agreement. "Coming, Crono?"

He cast her a flat glance. No, he was going to stay here for good and set up an Imp amusement park. Honestly... "Let's go."

Without any further ado, they moved closer to the Gate and were instantly pulled inside. This time, the journey through the blue nothingness wasn't that bad at all. They knew where they were going and the sense of security obtained thus allowed them to marvel at the phenomenon rather than worry about being reduced to a pile of bloody goo.

But the journey was as quick as before, and soon enough they were dumped back onto Leene's Square.

"Phew!" Marle clapped her hands, "We're back!"

A smile adorning her pretty face, she turned to her companions. "Crono, Lucca, why don't you come home with me to the castle? I'd like you to come over for dinner!" She'd really love for them to come, it would've been the first time she had her own friends over, not some 'appropriate' friends.

Lucca actually smiled back, for once. "Sorry for putting you through that all, Marle."

Marle laughed merrily. "Are you joking? That's the most fun I've had in months! And I have some new friends, too!"

Relieved that the Princess was not going to hold a royal grudge over having been winked out from existence for a few hours, Lucca turned to her friend. "Crono, be a gentleman and take her home. I've got some work to do." Actually, she didn't have any work to do, but what she did have was a powerful itch to get her hands on her books again. The whole experience had opened her eyes to quite a few novel concepts related to many space-time continuum theorems and she badly wanted to capture her ideas while they were still fresh in her mind. Even the fact that she was feeling horridly worn out after all the running she had performed that day, something she was not used to, was not going to stop her, it never did. In all likelihood, she was going to fall asleep at her desk, her nose squashed up against some fat tome.

"See you soon, Lucca," Marle waved as Lucca began walking away, but the scientist didn't seem to hear her. She was already too engrossed in muttering to herself.

Marle turned back to Crono. "Will you escort me home, Crono?"

She was smiling that bright smile again, and that meant that Crono would escort her even to El Nido and back. "Of course," he replied, offering her a smile of his own and they were off.

Although the hour was pretty late, Leene's Square was by no means less crowded than in the morning. If anything, it was even more crowded, since many people from the nearby villages had to work during the day hours and could only satisfy their want for festivity in the evening. The clutter of their voices blended nicely into the music that was coming from somewhere, and the colorful lampoons used to brighten up the night hours of the Fair only served to highlight the cheerfulness abundant in the air.

But Crono's generally content mood soon suffered an abrupt drop. In the crowd in front of them, he spotted a very familiar figure – his mother. And she was just turning around their way. Wincing, he prepared himself for some major scolding, but instead he saw his mother's eyes turn to Marle and her face brighten up at once.

"My, How nice! I've only seen you with Lucca! Who's your pretty new friend?"

"Hi, I'm Marle!" Marle smiled back.

"Eh! Marle?" His mother frowned in slight confusion. "I'm sure I've seen you before, dear! Now, where was that...?"

Deciding that he'd rather not have his mother figure out that Marle was in fact Princess Nadia, and thus jump to needless conclusions, Crono opted for a quick escape. "Mum, I have to take Marle back to her home. It's late."

His mother smiled at him knowingly, in the 'I'm gonna be a happy grandma' manner. "Of course, dear. Now run along!"

Wasting no time in doing that, Crono led Marle out of the crowded square, thinking about that motherly train of thought. ...Not about grandchildren, but about Marle in that context. She was a very nice girl and he could easily like her a lot, but... She seemed unattainable even when he didn't know that she was the Princess, but now that he did know that little detail, she was as unattainable as the moon and the stars combined. Crono sighed to himself dolefully. Why had he never added 'and gets the girl' to his adventure wish list? It was evident that today some compassionate deity decided to fulfill his wishes, so if he had added that tiny bit...

"So," Marle interrupted his thoughts as they entered Guardia Forest, "what exactly happened back there? I mean when I... sort of disappeared."

Crono pondered how to put it best for a moment. "You ceased to exist because Queen Leene had been killed. But when we saved her, you were brought back."

Marle made a confusedly questioning face and Crono laughed to himself. It really did seem absurd now that they were back home, all still in one piece. Nevertheless, he relayed the whole story to her the best he could, and she oohh-ed and wow-ed in all the right places. They spent the rest of the walk in such fashion, both enjoying themselves. But the castle loomed before them all too soon, much to Crono's disappointment. Although Marle seemed to think otherwise, he suspected that even his being only friends with the Princess of the lands was pretty much out of the question.

Yet Marle really appeared to believe that it was a doable concept, and pulled him inside with a bright smile. "Come on! I'll show you my room!"

Curious to see how a princess lived, Crono followed her obediently. But what was awaiting him inside was the last thing he'd ever expect. To put it mildly.

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If I offer thee a live Crono clone, wouldst thee review?


	3. Chapter 03

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews:** Thank you everyone, who had decided to review! It really means a lot, especially when it comes to a subject that is as past its glory days as _Chrono Trigger_!

**Sexysaxist:** Hahaha, I know, I know, I should get working on _Youkai no Konseki_, but first I ran into a block, then was too busy and now got too engrossed in this story to be able to focus on anything else. But by no means do I intend to abandon my first and most important story, rather, I need to get this out of my system before I can go back to Rin's issues with adulthood ;) In either case, thank you ever so much for reviewing nevertheless and I'm glad to hear that you approve of the style:)

**SaiyanLegend1:** Thank you very much! That said, I'm not entirely sure whether the chapters aren't too long, but it's still all very fresh, so maybe I'll change it later. Also, I liked the scene with Lucca laughing too the moment it occurred to me – I've seen people go for her being either afraid of Magus or being just generally negative, but I thought I'd go for a different approach ;) And sorry for this chapter not being a good one – the next one will be better, I promise!

**zipis1:** Thank you and yes, it's an odd effect, though I'm not sure what you mean by 'disturbing' o.0 Anyway, yes, Lucca is in for a surprise of a lifetime! ;) Also, the pixelated blobs are just adorable, especially their emotive expressions, like Lucca cackling evilly – I've always loved that one!

**Note:** This chapter is not one of the creations I'm most proud of, admittedly, but that's because I've never been fond of the "Trial" part of the game. Preferably, I would've cut the whole thing out, but they have to get to the second Gate somehow... Moreover, I'm discovering more and more why it's almost impossible to retain all the events from the game – it would've been an incredibly boring and rather inconsistent story – so I have altered some of the details, like merging Trann Dome with Arris Dome into one. I've also added a lot of dialogue, hopefully appropriate for their characters.

Lastly, is it just me, or does it make completely no sense for them to _have_ to get to the Gate in Proto Dome? The could just camp out around the first one, give it some time and then sneak back into Guardia! Sheesh!

Finally, a funny note. I have recently discovered that you can take Magus to the Norstein Bekkler lab and have him mimic himself. I was expecting that he'd be surprised but wouldn't laugh, but to my astonishment it was the other way around. So if anyone hasn't done it before – go make Magus laugh! It's hilarious!

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_Chapter 03 – Ruins of the Future_

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Slumping down onto the stinky bed in the cell, Crono propped his chin on his hands. This couldn't really be happening, could it...? He wasn't really going to be executed, right...? Sighing, he got up an began pacing around his cell in the castle's prison ward – his dump, dark, in desperate need of renovation and as drafty as the back passage of an Ogan cell – and once more ran over the events of the last two days in his mind.

It all started yesterday evening when he and Marle entered the castle, both still full of a relieved sense of adventure after the bizarre happenings of the day. The moment they passed the gates, the Chancellor – who looked so much like his counterpart from the past that Crono momentarily wondered whether they too weren't related – ran up to them, frantic worry itched onto his face.

"Princes Nadia! Are you all right? Where have you been!" The supposed descendent of Yakra's victim was getting progressively more and more riled up. "I heard you were abducted! We had soldiers searching for you!"

That was how Chrono had learnt that Marle had left the castle clandestinely, without telling anyone that she was going to the Fair. It was also how he had learnt that escorting such a run-away princess home could have dire consequences. The moment the Chancellor had spotted him, he began spluttering insane accusations of 'kidnapping the princess', 'terrorism' and 'taking over the throne'. Before Crono even began comprehending the full scope of what the Chancellor was suggesting, the nearly foaming man had called for guards and he was being dragged – literally, since he _did_ resist – towards the prison.

To Marle's credit, she did protest, very vehemently and very loudly, but the Chancellor simply didn't care about what she had to say. Thus, Crono had spent an _extremely_ unpleasant night in the prison, only to discover in the morning that he was going to be put on trial for 'Premeditated Abduction of Royalty', a trial – as idiotic in Crono's opinion as a Naga-ette wanting to be a ballerina – which had been about to start.

Yet although the fanatical Chancellor, who acted as the prosecutor, nearly went out of himself in his efforts to have the spiky-haired 'scoundrel' convicted, Crono was found not guilty. He had been so relieved that justice prevailed that he wasn't even fazed when the judge sentenced him to three days of solitary confinement anyway, for 'running off' with the Princess. Sure, spending three days in prison was not a nice prospect, but it was survivable and he _did_ almost disappear her.

However, his relief lasted only until he was back in the prison ward, where he found that the Chancellor was going to have him executed anyway, _despite_ a perfectly legitimate court verdict. And his violent protests were replied to only with a heavy blow to the base of his skull, one that sent him off to the la-la land for hours, until he woke up to find himself back in the cell and with a future that was going to meet a bloody end in just three days.

Sighing, he slumped back onto the cold prison bed. He couldn't even count on Marle appealing to her father, the _King_. When the verdict had been announced, Marle had run into the juridical chamber to voice her protest, but had been almost instantly interrupted by a very commanding, and very regal, voice.

"That's enough, my dear!" It had been the King; he strolled inside and towards his daughter with a somber expression on his royal face. "All I asked was for you to behave like a princess. Even royalty must obey rules. Leave the rest up to the Chancellor and forget about the events in town."

He wouldn't listen to any more objections from his daughter after that, and her half-rebellious, half-stunned face was the last thing Crono saw before he had been shoved out of the room. Which meant that he couldn't count on her, since it was evident that the King and his daughter had some serious problems with interpersonal communication.

But it wasn't really possible that he was going to be executed, was it...? Crono frowned in confusion. It had seemed just as impossible to him that he'd ever be in such a situation and yet here he was, labeled as a 'terrorist'. So he couldn't really rule out that somehow, the Chancellor would have his way and he'd be executed. It wasn't all that clear to him why the Chancellor held such uncompromising hatred towards him. Maybe, like his counterpart from the past, he too was a monster in disguise? Crono snorted to himself. It would've been so convenient if everybody who ever had something against him could be classified as a 'monster'. Then he could even sign off Mrs. Pinegrass – a teacher who had taken an instant dislike towards him ever since his first day in school – as a monster too, and maybe even have her 'put down'.

Sighing, Crono turned back to the reality before him, trying to ignore the annoying sound of water dripping somewhere in the background. He had only two options to choose from at the moment – offer himself to the mercy of the fates or try to do something about his situation. The first one was not too appealing, especially if the fates turned out to be less than kind and he really got executed. So that left only the latter. But what could he do...?

Inspecting his surroundings carefully, Crono took in the details of the cell. It was dump, cold and pretty much empty, minus the uncomfortable bed, a pitcher of water and a metal mug. And his way out was blocked by solid looking iron bars and two stern guards. But as he was watching the guards, his mind recalled the numerous heroic stories he had read in his life. Whenever a hero was locked up somewhere, the trick was to make the guard, if there was any, open the cell up, usually by pretending to be ill. He couldn't really do that, the guards could see him in his full glory and he was certain he looked as healthy as could be. But maybe...

A plan twinkling in his mind, he got up and picking up the metal mug, headed towards the iron bars. Soon, the entire area was filled with the annoyingly loud clangs of metal against metal.

"Pipe down!" one of the guards barked out and Crono grinned to himself. So the soldier was irritable enough for his plan to work!

"I'm just trying to fit in," he replied casually, "You know what they say, when in Porre, do like the Porrians do!" With that, he once more scraped the metal mug against the bars, trying to make it as annoying as only possible.

"Knock it off!" the guard barked again. He was not in a good mood. He hated his job, but unfortunately he had a family to keep, and a demanding wife he was not looking forward to getting back home to.

"What?" Crono blinked innocently, "does it bother you in your daydreams of your Ogan of a wife?" Admittedly, it was a low taunt, but Crono was not feeling at the heights of sophistication at the moment.

The jeer hit too close to home, and the guard gritted his teeth, turning towards the prisoner in irritation. "You little punk! I'll show you!"

Muttering various curses, he pulled the lever that lifted the iron bars and stormed into the cell, promptly whacking the naughty convict squarely in the noggin. Crono was sent sprawling to the ground. The guard hit hard, but fortunately, not hard enough to put him out of commission.

"That's what you get for misbehaving," the irritable man with a lousy spouse spat out, looking down to the spiky-haired terrorist. Grumbling, he turned around and moved to exit the poorly-lit cell.

And that was what Crono had been waiting for. Jumping to his feet, he clasped his hands together into a tight ball and hit the guard hard in the base of the neck. When the man staggered slightly, he quickly reached for the guard's sword, and grabbing it firmly, used its hilt to deliver another blow. The man crashed onto the floor, unconscious, and Crono felt immensely thankful for all the hours he had spent on sword practice. It might've been with just a wooden sword, but it still endowed him with extra strength that belied his lithe form.

Following on his success, his heart thumping excitedly, he darted out of the cell, before he was locked in again. The other guard, who had been dozing off somewhat, woke up with a start and hazedly grasped the situation.

"Where do you think you're going!" Crono thought it was rather obvious, but oh well.

Still gripping the sword he had 'borrowed' from the irritable guard, Crono faced off against his companion, and quickly managed to take the groggy man out.

Wiping off a bit of sweat from his forehead – due more to excitement than exertion – he hurriedly surveyed his situation. Well, he was out of the cell, which was step one towards avoiding the execution. Now he just had to somehow get out of the castle altogether and never cross paths with any Guardian official again.

The sword still tightly in his hand, he left the cold stone corridor and began sneaking around the prison ward. It occupied two lanky towers, joined by metal bridges. There were more guards around, but Crono quickly found that being a prison warden was not a very sought-after job and only those who couldn't get anything better took it up. He lurked around in the shadows, trying to sneak up on the guards and knock them out without much hassle. Most of the time he was perfectly successful – the guards, mostly slightly overweight middle-aged men dozing off on their jobs, never saw the blow coming. And when confrontation would turn out inevitable, they would prove to be as inept at sword fighting as grasshoppers, and Crono experienced no problems in walloping their lazy behinds. One had even openly chosen to make himself scarce rather than to fight, muttering 'they don't pay me enough for this!'

Unable to find his way in the maze of cells and corridors, Crono spent quite some time on the guard-disciplining activities. And after a moment of consideration, he began mugging them too. He was already a convicted felon on the run; theft could hardly make his legal status any worse at that point. However, if he ever managed to find his way out of the place, he would have to stay on the run – unless he could think of some brilliant plan to reinstitute himself as a 'decent citizen' – and money was necessary for that. Sighing, he trudged on through the uninviting corridors that were in desperate need of renovation. He was not looking forward to such a life, but if it was that or an execution, the choice was clear.

After sneaking through yet another bridge, he finally reached some more civilized quarters. It seemed that he managed to make his way almost to the castle proper, now he just had to make it _out_ of that castle proper. But first, he found as he passed a corner, he'd have to deal with the prison supervisor. The man noticed him as he entered the room and almost jumped out of his skin in terror.

"H..Help!" Yet without waiting for help to come, the supervisor darted out of the room through the exit that, as Crono suspected, led to the castle. He was about to give chase, not wanting anyone on his way to know that he had escaped, but it turned out he didn't have to. A few loud whacks and thuds reached his ears from the direction the man had run off to, and a blink of an eye later, a very familiar figure in thick glasses appeared in the doorway.

"Crono!" Lucca exclaimed, relieved to see her friend still intact. "I've come to save you!"

She did indeed. Lucca lived a few miles away from Truce, on a small island down south, and thus she didn't exactly follow the latest news from the town. It would've been entirely plausible for her to remain completely oblivious to her friend's predicament, especially since she was so engrossed in reading on time travel, but fortunately, Taban had been in town to do the shopping on the day of Crono's trial. And once he had heard that the boy was to be executed, he dropped the sweet bun he had been snacking on in the shop and sped back home, his reddish hair and beard even more disheveled than usual. Hearing the news, Lucca didn't have to think long about what to do. There was no way she'd let Crono be executed, in any form or fashion, and since she had always held bureaucracy in contempt, that left only the direct approach.

"Gee," she added, raising an eyebrow, "it looks like you didn't need my help, after all!"

Crono grinned mischievously, feeling not only very much in the role of a convict on the loose, but also much better now that Lucca was there with him. She had helped him weasel out of trouble many times when they were kids, and he was sure that if there was any possible way in which he could return to his normal life – how appealing it seemed now that he learnt that adventures were not always as fun as the books made it look! – then Lucca would be the one to discover it.

"Let's blow this joint!"

But before they did, Crono dragged the supervisor back into the room, and tied him up with his own shoelaces to prevent him from alerting anyone that a prisoner had escaped, while Lucca absentmindedly fingered through the papers that were almost spilling down from the desk.

"We're not going to hang around here long enough for him to wake up, you know," she winked at Crono over the rim of her glasses.

"Better safe than sorry," Crono replied resolutely, shoving the man under the desk. Somehow, the whole situation reminded him of how he and Lucca were on the run from Marcus Longhorn, the school's bully, when they were ten. They managed to escape his wrath – incurred by nothing more than an innocent joke about his ancestry – by hiding in the garbage cans behind Truce Inn. From their childish perspective, the situation back then had been just as serious as the one they were in now.

Finally leaving the premises, they sped through the bridge leading to the castle. As they were half-way through, a loud booming noise caught their ears, but neither had any idea what on earth was it. Yet the mystery solved itself but a moment later. A large mechanical monster on wheels, at least seven feet tall and shaped like a simplistic dragon, rolled out onto the bridge, blocking their path.

"Yikes!" Lucca jumped up, thoroughly taken by surprise, and Crono couldn't agree more.

Behind the metallic beast they suddenly saw the Chancellor's head and two guards further back. "Forward, Dragon Tank!" He was spluttering again. "Crush those rebels!"

It seemed that despite Crono's efforts, the news of his escape had already flowed into the castle. Frowning, he reached for his weapon, even though he had very little idea what to do.

"Any bright ideas?" he asked Lucca, while backing away slightly.

"Not yet," Lucca replied, following suit.

For his part, the Dragon Tank didn't waste time on idle prattle and, opening its metallic jaws proudly, spewed fire on them. Both jumped away even further, narrowly escaping the flames. The Dragon Tank rolled forward with surprising speed and crashed into them painfully, sending both to the ground.

"Ouch!"

"Oomph!"

As they collected themselves from the floor, Lucca reached for her flamethrower. If it wanted to play with fire, she would give it fire! But when she shot at the metal monster, they learnt something new about it – it could block such attacks. An energy shield appeared around the monster and they could also hear odd buzzing noises, as if the tank was repairing itself automatically from whatever minor damage it had sustained.

The situation did not look promising. The machine was blocking their path and even if they managed to somehow bypass it, behind it waited the Chancellor and the guards. And the fact that the bridge was not only narrow but also very high above the ground didn't help much either, limiting their evasive tactics. Since getting splattered all over the royal pavement was not what either of them considered a happy ending, and both were aiming for one, caution was definitely advised.

Crono drew closer to the deceptively ridiculous looking machine and attempted to pierce through it metallic hide. Frowning, Lucca watched as his sword barely scraped the hard surface, inflicting practically zero damage. There was a very prominent whisper coming from the back of her head, one telling her 'Lucca, you dolt! You've seen the words 'Dragon Tank' somewhere, just a minute ago!', but her attention was too grasped by the apparent stupidity of the tank's design to chase the elusive memory. The tank, shaped like a dragon, had a bulky body on wheels and its head was raised up on a very long neck. She just couldn't understand what was its designer thinking – having the head so separate from the body was impractical and pointless.

Yet as she fired another shot at the machine – only to have it blocked again – while Crono got almost pushed off the bridge by a powerful shove of the metallic chest, understanding finally hit her like the smell of Crono's mum's apple pie. She had seen the name of the machine in the "Dragon Tank Owner's Manual" on the supervisor's desk! And that manual contained a perfect explanation for the tank's mechanics!

"Crono, the head!" she shouted to her friend who was currently collecting himself from the ground, "attack the head! That's the center of its defenses!"

Easier said than done, Crono grumbled to himself, trying to ignore the piercing pain of his scraped knees and elbows and the dull ache radiating from his ribs, which he suspected might've even gotten cracked. He drew in a deep breath, at least as deep as he could at the moment. In some inexplicable way, this fight seemed somehow more... real than the one with Yakra. Perhaps it was due to being in his own world and thus being unable to escape reality. He could even see the familiar roofs of Truce on the horizon, currently painted red by the setting sun. This was no new, implausible world; this was _his_ world, in which he should be at present delivering fish from the port to the market, while trying to pick up the cutie working there. His world shouldn't include battling mechanical beasts!

Sighing, he pushed away both the useless thoughts and a strand of hair that kept getting into his eyes. This was not the time to ponder the matter, he'd do that later, now he had to ensure there would be a 'later' for him.

So when the tank attempted to roast them again, he dodged the flames, run up under its head and thrust his sword into the dragon-like head... only to have the blade slide off down the metal with a disappointing screech. The tank revved its engines as if offended by such an attempt and rushed forward, sending the would-be slayer flying.

"Try again!" exclaimed Lucca when he landed at her feet with a painful thump.

"This might surprise you," Crono replied while picking himself up from the ground with a grunt, "but that was my plan all along."

Lucca fired another shot to keep the tank busy. "Har har har..."

It took three more attempts – painful landings and flame dodging included – before Crono finally succeeded in his quest and lodged his sword firmly into the base of the tank's dragonish head, nearly hacking it off completely. The appendage erupted in wisps of electrical discharge, clearly having been rendered useless, at the long last.

"Now get the wheels!" Lucca shouted, raining shots on the now not so impenetrable tank.

She really didn't have to tell him that, it was an obvious course of action. But when he ran up to the machine, he found that it could prove to be quite difficult. The wheels were made of very sturdy looking iron and he doubted the not-so-remarkable sword he had cadged of the irritable guard would be of any use here. Yet at that point the tank demonstrated two new things to them. One, it had not only the flamethrower as an offence weapon, but also some sort of a missile launcher, and it just set off one of the aforementioned missiles. Two, the artificial intelligence unit – if it ever had one to begin with – had to have been inside the head, because it fired the projectile at Crono and since he was currently right next it, it meant firing at itself.

And in a one-in-a-million strike of unbelievable luck, Crono managed to jump away before the impact and the missile hit the tank head-on. It exploded into a multitude of metallic shreds, random screws and charred wires, leaving the two 'slayers' both immensely relieved and yet somewhat incredulous. And in an even more unbelievable coincidence – someone above was clearly in love with them – the explosion damaged a part of the bridge, leaving a narrow yet very gaping hole into which their remaining opponents, the Chancellor and the guards, fell. They managed to grab an edge and thus avoid the long drop and a fate of being gathered up from the ground with a spoon – or a sponge, whichever would prove more successful – but were still rendered completely harmless as an effect.

"Well," Lucca said walking up to Crono and pushing her slightly smudgy glasses up, "the way I see it, it still counts as a victory."

"Even if it doesn't," Crono grinned, feeling somehow frivolous, perhaps due to the sudden relief, "I'm still writing it off as one."

Lucca laughed in agreement and waved towards the gap. "After you then."

"Don't fool yourselves into thinking you've gotten away with this!" the Chancellor bellowed as they were jumping above his head, but the two paid him no mind. He could hang there and bellow all he wanted for all they cared, Crono decided, holding back an urge to flip the fanatical man the finger.

Still feeling unbelievably lucky – and thoroughly roughed up in Crono's case – they rushed into the castle and then down the by now familiar to them endless staircases. Only to run into two more guards at the bottom of the last one.

"They're escaping!" exclaimed one of them in a spark of brilliancy that could rival that of a chicken's.

"We have no choice but to break through!" Lucca shouted, shoving the still surprised man aside and running towards the main exit from the castle. Crono followed without delay, rushing through the stone corridors that didn't seem to have changed a bit during the last 400 years.

But more and more guards were noticing them, all giving chase after the scandalous pair, until they were pretty much surrounded. Crono hesitantly reached towards his sword. Fighting royal guards so openly – and now also dragging Lucca into it – was a very double-sided edge, especially if they lost.

"Stop!" shouted a commanding voice just as the guards too were preparing themselves for a confrontation.

The soldiers backed away at once, all falling into a bow. "Princess Nadia!"

It was indeed the princess. She approached them quickly, anger evident on her face. "This is my friend! Show him your respect!"

One of the soldiers dared to protest and somehow Crono was reminded of the same situation taking place both only yesterday and 400 years ago. "B, but..."

"Can't you take orders?" Marle asked in an exasperated voice, leaving the soldier somewhat confused. He could take orders, but that was not the point...

"Nadia!" a new voice joined the argument and Crono cringed, recognizing it. It was the King, he was standing at the top of the main staircase they had been passing by and was looking down on his daughter with a very solemn expression. "The throne comes before your personal wishes!"

"What?" Marle's pretty face was flabbergasted. "Just because I have a title doesn't mean I'm not a person!"

"You pick up strange ideas venturing outside!" The King was obviously against Marle's solitary escapades.

"I didn't 'pick up' anything! It's called 'common sense'!"

Crono and Lucca exchanged conspiratory glances. Marle and the King were clearly busy with their argument and the guards where all crouched down into low bows. It was the best moment to take their leave, especially since the very same moment a heavily panting Chancellor had ran onto the scene. If they were to make it out of the situation, they had to act _fast_.

But the Princess solved the matter for them. "I despise you!" she shouted towards her father, like a spoiled child who didn't get her candy, "I'm leaving! Come on, Crono!"

With that, she grabbed Crono's hand and ran towards the main entrance, pulling him behind her with Lucca in tow. As they were dashing under the medieval gates and out into the Guardia Forest, the Chancellor's outraged voice reached their ears.

"Don't just stand there!" he scolded the guards, "After them!"

The three picked up their pace, sprinting through the green foliage, neither really aware that Marle was the one in the lead and that she had very little idea where she was running towards, being rather unfamiliar even with the forest right outside the castle.

It became blatantly obvious to them only when they ran into a rocky formation blocking their path, with heaps of fallen trees on each side. To make the matters worse, the heavy footsteps of the soldiers were thudding closer and closer.

Marle looked to the other two apologetically. "Looks like a dead end..."

But Crono wasn't really listening; his attention was too grasped by the odd, muted sounds coming from his friend.

"Lucca," he asked slowly, "why are you beeping...?"

Lucca looked down to herself in surprise. "Ah!" She reached into her pocket and quickly pulled a small metallic gadget they recognized as the Gate Key. "I don't believe it! Yesterday, I added a Gate detector to it, you know, just in case we ran into more of them, you can never really know after all and... Marle! You have led us straight to another Gate!"

Manipulating at the apparatus's controls, she neared the rocky wall in front of them. Sure enough, a blue whirl they could easily recognize by now erupted at its base.

"Let's jump in!" Marle took a step closer to the bluish hole in space.

"But we don't even know where it'll take us!" Lucca objected slightly, despite feeling rather curious. That was why she added the detector after all...

"Who cares!" Marle huffed excitedly. "This place stinks anyway!"

The decision was made for them as the guards, and surprisingly also the Chancellor, ran onto the scene. "Princess Nadia!" Their choices were very limited at the moment and were oscillating between nearly-certain death and possibly-certain death.

"This is completely irrational," Lucca announced, nevertheless backing up towards the Gate.

"Agreed," Crono followed after the two, "but unless we take it, I'm going to be executed for sure! I've ran off with the Princess twice now!"

"I see your point," Lucca sighed, pocketing the Gate Key, "then after you!"

"Come on!" Marle egged them on, jumping in first, and the other two followed promptly, leaving a very stunned group of pursuers behind.

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"Yeoowch...!" Lucca complained, rubbing her aching behind. The Gate had spat them out onto a very hard and surprisingly cold floor. Not to mention, she observed pushing her glasses up as if it could help, into a very dark place.

"There's no way the Chancellor can reach us here", Marle's voice said in the nearly complete darkness somewhere to her left, "But, where are we...?"

Instinctively dusting off her still aching hinder regions, Lucca got up and headed towards the only feeble source of light in the area. It was a door, she found approaching it, but one unlike any door she had ever seen before. For one thing, it was made of metal, somewhat rusted around the edges. But the most astonishing part of it was the center, where a large yellowish crest was protruding from the otherwise smooth surface. It was an abstract shape, yet nevertheless it looked almost like a head of some creature with horns. Scattered around it were blue, shimmering squares and those were the source of light they had noticed. It was as if some kind of energy was pulsing through the door and Lucca was absolutely certain that nothing like that had ever existed in Guardia.

"The civilization here seems so... advanced...," she commented idly, touching the rusted door.

Marle, who had joined her in front of the strange gate, was surveying the visible parts of their surroundings in astonishment. "Like we're in another world..."

It could very well be another world, Lucca observed, letting go of the corroded surface. The only other Gate they had taken before led them through time, but there was no guarantee that the recent one had done the same. Since time and space were irrevocably bound together, it was indeed possible that through this Gate, they had reached a new space rather than a new time.

"More importantly," Crono commented from behind them, where he was rubbing his continuously sore ribs, "what are we going to do now?"

"Well," Lucca considered, pushing her glasses up again, "we can either try waiting for some time here and then go back through the Gate, or go explore this place."

"I'm for exploring!" Marle raised her hand as if they were voting. Crono sighed to himself. The Princess not only had had a comfortable night in her own bed – and probably a bath, something he was in a desperate need of at the moment – but also, she hadn't been with them when they had been rampaging through the cathedral. So she was probably still unaware of the less appealing aspects of adventuring, not to mention was still full of fresh reserves of energy.

Fortunately, Lucca noticed his rather run-down state and reached into her pocket. "Here," she said, handing him a tonic, "I took a few of those with me when I was heading out to 'rescue' you."

"Thanks," Crono accepted the vial gladly and promptly applied the greenish goo onto his numerous cuts and bruises. Cringing slightly, he gulped down the remaining bits, trying not to think about the taste. Tonics were normally meant for external use, there were other medicines for enhancing one's general regenerative abilities, but tonics worked well enough too. Minus the unbelievably mouth-wrenching aftertaste, that is.

"All right," he said finally, trying not to think about the green goo that was still sliding down the back of his throat, "Let's go explore. We can always come back here anyway."

The question was though, could they even leave the place? The only visible door was the crested one and it wouldn't budge an inch, even when all three of them were pushing against it. Giving up on that option, they began stumbling in the darkness along the walls, and all quickly noticed that not only the crested door, but also the walls and the floor were made of rusted metal.

Advancing slowly along the once-smooth surfaces, they finally found another door. This time, however, they had more luck in opening it, although it had to be slid away sideways, instead of being swung, and thus they exited the dimly-lit room and found themselves outdoors altogether.

There, they stood in silence, all stumped by the sight before them. There were no trees around them, nor any flora of any kind. Nor people, nor birds, animals or even Imps. Only a red, dusty desert stretching up to the horizon in an endless expanse of a wasteland. A chilly wind was howling around them, raising the reddish dust up from the ground and hurling it into their eyes, mouths and every possible crease of their clothes.

"This is horrible!" Marle exclaimed, averting her eyes away from the barren land and gazing upwards instead, but the sight there wasn't any better. The skies above were dark with low, heavy clouds that were rushing past them at uncomfortably fast speed. Their sinister swells kept surging forward, shrouding the entire span of the skies. Only an occasional lightning jumping from one cloud to another disrupted their dark monotony. The crackling of electrical discharge and the howling of the wind were the only sounds in the otherwise soundless world.

Lucca was the first one to regain her senses. "Hmmm...," she muttered, trying to shield her glasses from the red dust, in a futile effort to keep her vision clear, "something must have happened here..."

Looking down to the ground to further shield her eyes from the dusty wind, she noticed an odd swelling of the red ground. Stepping forward a few paces, she crouched down and brushed off some of the red powder from the swelling, uncovering a line of once light-colored stones. They were shaped into evenly-cut blocks and had been placed one after another to form a line. Looking around, Lucca quickly spotted another similar swelling, running parallel to the first one a few feet away.

"What is it?" Crono asked, walking up to her, the soles of his shoes eliciting crunchy sounds from the dusty red ground.

"A road," Lucca reached a conclusion, "this used to be a road. And that–," she pointed towards something behind Marle, making the Princess spin around, "used to be a building."

It was where they had emerged from, where the Gate was. The building, for it was indeed a building, was shaped like a dome, like an egg half-embedded into the ground. Or at least it used to be, since now a large part of it was crushed into an unrecognizable heap of wreckage, and the probably once shining metallic surface of the remaining part was stained almost everywhere by the reddish blooms of corrosion. The red dust that seemed to be the most prominent element of this new world added to the image of ruination, piling up at the bottom of the dome, as if it was trying to swallow up the wrecked structure.

"But," Marle turned back to her companions in sudden anxiety, "where are the people...?"

It was a very valid question, Lucca thought, getting up and pointlessly dusting off her black shorts and bare knees. Where there were roads and buildings, there had to be people. However, she frowned, surveying the barren horizon, it was entirely possible that there were simply no people here, at least not anymore. There was no vegetation around, not even one blade of grass or a shrimpy bush, and people needed vegetation to survive. Wasn't it plausible then that the inhabitants of the place had either moved to a more hospitable area – if there was any, which seemed doubtful – or basically... died out?

But just as the thought crossed her mind, Crono spotted something on the horizon. "Look!" he was pointing towards something ahead, and the two girls quickly followed the line of both his finger and eyes.

A mile away – or perhaps two, it was hard to say – they could see a rounded, metallic shape, just like the one behind them. It must've been hidden behind a cloud of the dust before and had been only now uncovered to their eyes.

"Let's go there," Crono suggested, "maybe there are people in that dome...?

"There have to be!" Marle exclaimed, not wanting to think about the possibility that no humans lived in this world anymore.

"Yea," Lucca agreed, "let's go there."

Without delay they set out on their way and trudged on through the clouds of the red dust in silence, each contemplating this new world in the privacies of their minds. Lucca's mind in particular was busy with activity. A dark, sinister whisper arose from the back of her head and was trying to sneak an idea into the conscious parts of her thoughts, an idea so horrible and ghastly that she promptly told the whisper to shut up, convincing herself that it was a preposterous notion.

Walking thus, they passed many heaps of metallic wreckage, crumbled buildings and other remaining parts of the road Lucca had spotted. And craters, numerous, ominous looking craters marring the otherwise even ground. It couldn't be, Lucca repeated to herself, it just couldn't be...

Finally, they reached the second dome, much larger than the one they had initially arrived at, at least three times the size. On a side – or was it the front? – there was a large and somewhat rusted door and Crono moved to slide it open, without trying to push or pull it, feeling already taught by experience. It slid away with a shrill screech, uncovering a dark passage inside. The moment they stepped inside, a pungent, stifling smell of dirt and filth invaded their nostrils.

"If there are people here," Lucca commented, pulling up the yellowish scarf she wore around her neck up to cover her nose, "they are in a dire need of a bath!"

"Hey, at least in comparison, I smell good!" Crono replied, fighting an urge to follow suit and pull his own scarf up.

The girls laughed in agreement; Crono did have a perfect excuse for not being all that fresh though – he _had_ spent a night in jail after all. But the laughter was only a cover for the tenseness the group felt ever since they stumbled out onto the barren desert of the world the Gate had brought them to. The high expectations of finding people in the dome did little to ease their moods either.

"Hey, shh," Marle waved her hand suddenly, "listen! It's voices!"

The other two perked up their ears and soon they too caught sporadic, muted sounds of voices, or at least of what resembled human voices. Their hopes rising greatly, they looked at each other expectantly.

"Well," Lucca finally said, reluctantly lowering the scarf to avoid appearing rude to the inhabitants of the dome, "let's go meet them."

Following the dark corridor of metallic walls, they soon reached another door, smaller and in a less advanced state of corrosion, perhaps due to not having been constantly subjected to the dust outside. It slid away much more easily under Crono's hand and the true innards of the dome were revealed to them.

Its center was hollow and vast while along the round walls they could see countless doors, undoubtedly leading to countless rooms. Above, there was a gallery-like walkway running around the span of the tall dome, and more doors and rooms along it. Some of the doors were open and soft light was pouring out of them, adding to the light of the few lamps in the center of the dome.

The center contained some objects that looked like very used and rather dirty furniture, scattered in between large chunks of what they assumed used to be machinery, but had corroded and degenerated into a state of being darkish lumps of chipped metal boxes and panels of broken glass. The floor and most of the walls of the dome were made of darkly colored metal, largely covered by rust, and in some places patched up by other materials.

But what caught their eyes the most was the moving objects, people. There were many inside, young and aged, adults and children, and all shared a few distinctive features. All looked ragged, being dressed in darkish, patched-up clothes that had undoubtedly seen better days. And all had unhealthily pale complexions, as if they hadn't seen the sun, or even been outside in a very long time. But they were living human beings nevertheless.

"I knew there had to be someone here!" Marle exclaimed in relief.

Her cheerful voice reverberated through the dome and heads of its inhabitants began turning their way, staying turned once the people of this barren world took in their colorful clothing and healthy complexions that clearly stated that they were not from around there. Soon, the dome was filled with excited voices and intense gazes.

"Um," Marle backed up a bit, "they're not going to attack us or anything, right?"

Lucca took of her glasses to clean away the red smudges on the lenses with the hem of her green shirt. "They're probably just surprised to see outsiders."

"What are we going to tell them?" Crono questioned hastily, while some sort of a welcoming – or inquiring – committee was apparently being formed. But before they had the time to agree on their story, an elderly man with tufts of disheveled white hair approached them, leaning heavily on a metallic stuff as he walked.

"You there," he questioned, half-benignly, half-sternly, "where're you from?"

A little girl popped her head out from behind him and added to the gist of the inquiry. "Who are you?"

Crono and Marle glanced to Lucca questioningly. She was the undisputed brains of their trio, so it would've been best if she was the one to do the talking on such a subject. Grasping the intended meaning of the glances, Lucca pondered their options quickly; even though the current residents of the dome seemed somewhat... out of the circuit, so to speak, the advanced state of the past technology around suggested that they could potentially accept the actual truth of their identity and origin, without signing it off as gibberish, as the people from the Middle Ages would've probably done.

Appending mentally that honesty was probably also the best way to receive honesty in return and learn what had happened to this world, Lucca reached her decision. "We're... not from around here," she began tentatively, while the sinister whisper in the back of her head snickered that they could indeed be very much from around here. "We have come here through a Gate in the space-time continuum, from Truce in Guardia Kingdom of 1000 A.D." There.

Incredulous outcries rose from the continuously thickening crowd around them, momentarily making her think that perhaps she had miscalculated.

"A _kingdom_...?" a man questioned disbelievingly, as if he wasn't even familiar with the word. "Whaddaya talking about...?"

"Truce Dome?" another raised an eyebrow, "Never heard of it. This is Arris Dome."

But the elderly man raised a hand and the people around quieted down, allowing him to speak. "As you have heard, you are in Arris Dome, where no one has heard of either 'Truce' or 'Guardia Kingdom'. And," he was watching them intently from under his white bushy eyebrows, "the year is 2300."

The trio kept staring at him vacantly for a few moments, while the information was making its impact on their minds.

"We must truly be in the future...," Marle whispered finally, her face much paler than its usual rosy hue. The thought had obviously crossed her mind before it had been confirmed, and Lucca knew how it felt. It was the same thought that kept snickering at the back of her mind and even the knowledge that her intuition had been correct did little to raise her spirits. If this was the future, then...

"How...," Crono began, looking as staggered as the other two felt, "how did this happen...?"

"How did what happen...?" a teenage girl in a decrepit version of a mini-skirt asked back, frowning slightly.

Lucca struggled to collect herself as quickly as possible. "He means... how did things come to be as they are? How did the world get turned into a wasteland?" An image of the craters outside flashed briefly through her thoughts.

The elderly man with a cane nodded to himself, as if he had been expecting them to ask the question. "It had been like this for as long as anyone can remember. Even my grandfather's father had been born under the dark sky. But we do have stories of green earth and blue sky, and of the cataclysm that had destroyed that world."

"Come," he gestured to them, turning around and heading towards the center of the dome, while the crowd parted to make way for him. Still stunned, the trio followed after him. He led them towards an old and shabby armchair of unrecognizable color, and sitting down in it, gestured for them to sit down on the simple bench in front of it. The crowd pooled in around them, the inhabitants of the dome being clearly immensely intrigued by the strange newcomers.

"I'm Doan," the elderly man began once they sat down, "I'm a descendant of the director of this info center and something of an Elder of this community."

"Nice to meet you," Marle replied instinctively, although her voice was still somewhat sullen, "I'm Marle, and this is Crono and Lucca." She gestured to her respective companions who mumbled their own greetings and received vague nods from Doan.

"So," Crono began, his previous question still lingering heavily on his mind, "what did happen here? What was that cataclysm...?"

"Alas," Doan replied, resting his hands on his cane, "we do not know the details. Only that a rain of fire had devastated the face of the planet, bringing forth the red earth and dark skies."

Once more Lucca thought of the numerous craters outside. 'A rain of fire'...?

"Ironically, this used to be an info center," Doan continued slowly, gesturing vaguely to the decrepit machinery and broken glass panels around, "and the quarters of the scientists working in the laboratory complex to the west. But those terminals have stopped working long ago. If you want to know more about the cataclysm, you would have to go to the basement area, where a terminal linked directly to the main computer should still be operational."

Excited and incredulous whispers erupted once more from the crowd around them, and one word was repeated like a mantra – 'food'.

"Food...?" Marle questioned, puzzled.

"Yes," Doan nodded pensively, "supposedly, there used to be a large storage center for food down in the underground area, but it had been inaccessible for as long as we can remember. Yet as you can see, a mere mention of food is enough to make us excited."

"Pardon the question," Lucca pushed her glasses up, frowning at Doan, "but how have you survived...? Without food, I mean."

Doan gestured to his side, making the crowd part to allow them to see what he was pointing to. It was a large machine, with a cubicle in the center, behind a glass door. Wires wound up around its sides and a panel of discolored buttons was attached to it next to the transparent door. "This is an Enertron. It artificially sustains our lives, replenishing our energy without the need for food. But unfortunately, it still leaves us feeling hungry, so naturally we would like to be able to get to the storage area."

Lucca squinted her eyes at the contraption, feeling a powerful urge to go inspect this 'Enertron' in full detail. If it really was capable of sustaining life without material substance – and she had no reason to doubt it, since the people around were clearly still alive – then it was the most advanced piece of technology she had ever seen or heard of. She couldn't even comprehend how it would be possible to replenish energy in such a way, although vague ideas were already popping up in her mind.

Doan turned back to them again, "But the area below is guarded by robots and no one has ever made it back from there."

"My husband...," a woman standing behind Doan's chair spoke up suddenly, "...went to the food area below. I haven't seen him since..." Her darkened eyes told them that she was battling the thought that crossed their minds too – that she was not going to see her husband ever again.

"You see," Doan addressed the group once more, stroking his long white moustache, "unlike you, we have no weapons." He looked down meaningfully to Crono's sword and Lucca's gun.

The three time-travelers glanced to each other, clearly thinking the same, until Marle finally voiced the thought. "You mean, if we want to find out more about the cataclysm, we have to go below and defeat the robots...?"

Doan nodded slowly, eliciting more excited outcries from the crowd, while Marle turned back to her companions hastily. "We have to go! Not only to find out what happened here, but to help those people too!"

Crono and Lucca exchanged wary glances. It was easy for her to say, she had no weapons so obviously they would be the ones to do the actual 'defeating the robots'. But simultaneously, both were thinking the same – they _needed_ to know what had happened to this world, _their_ world, what had turned the green forests and blue sky of Guardia into the barren wasteland outside.

Finally, Crono sighed heavily. "All right. I guess we don't really have a choice."

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Sigh, only one out of three people who open the fic decide to continue reading... And here I am, so open for criticism! Flame me, please!


	4. Chapter 04

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews:** Thank you, Merciful Ones, for your time and dedication!

**SaiyanLegend1:** Thank you and now I will shamelessly expect you to read it indeed! As mentioned in the chapter note, I have played _Crono Cross_, although I'll have to reply it now to refresh my memory. (On a side note, as nice as CC is, it cannot compare to CT...) As for Ayla, you can rest assured; I have no intentions of making her a dim-wit in any way. I've always found her to be much on the smart side, and quite a role model ;) I still don't know how to incorporate her into the story for good (too many characters to portray all equally), but I'll think of something.

**zipis1: **Hahaha, thank you and I'm glad to hear you liked it! I have always found it odd (to say the least) that Crono would have his sword. Clearly, the penitentiary system in Guardia is in a serious need of revision. Or new guards. As for the Gates, they don't lead to the same time and I'm basing the estimation (in this chapter) that the same amount of time passes on both sides on the fan agreement from the CT Encyclopedia page. Actually, I intend to play with it more later in the story ;) And go play the game! ;)

**Idril:** Thank you for keeping such a watchful eye on the story! I'm going to put up a note in my bio page with info on _Youkai no Konseki_, so I won't launch into any long rants here, since I don't even think you will come back to read it ;)

**Note:** Phew! Finally done with the preliminary parts. As clear from this chapter, I'm trying to incorporate some more advanced fan-theories on the mechanics of time-travel and Lavos. It's not perfectly logical, but that's to be expected – the game simply isn't...

Moreover, I'm also using the knowledge from _Crono Cross_, most notably on the future of Guardia and Porre. My general intention is to stretch this fic out beyond the game and into the information from the second game (but without any orphanages...). But I'm starting to think that maybe I should split it into two fics, once this becomes a Lu/Mag, just to make it easier on Lu/Mag shippers ;) The problem is, there's no clear boundary where to cut it. I know that some people start from the North Cape, but Magus is present in the game almost from the beginning, and I wanted to show what kind of expectations and whatnot Lucca had _before_ meeting him. Plus, I intend to add some events to the Zeal part. Hmm... Oh, well, end of rant ;)

Oh, and this chapter is a bit more serious, at least without lame jokes, since I've always found this part to be the most serious. At least minus the ending parts.

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_Chapter 04 – Operation: Tinker with the Past_

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"Geez," Marle sighed as she stepped into another pile of dust-covered rat feces, "don't they _ever_ clean up?"

"I don't think that keeping the basement clean is their main concern, Marle," Crono replied from ahead of her, where he had just disposed of another rusted robot.

Lucca didn't join their hygiene-centered exchange, being too busy examining the remnants of the previous robot Crono had easily ran through with his sword and thus permanently incapacitated. They had entered the expansive underground area of the dome over half an hour prior, among energized whispers and hushes of the post-apocalyptic inhabitants of the facility. Almost instantly they had learnt that the area had indeed been inaccessible for quite a long time – an extremely thick layer of dust covered everything down here, starting from the rusted, metallic walls of the winding corridors, through the occasional heaps of corroded metal wreckage, to the odd lamps embedded into the walls.

And the guarding robots turned out mostly rusted over and only semi-functional, at least the ones they had encountered so far. They were so slow and damaged that there was no need for her to employ her weapons – Crono's somewhat archaic sword easily cut through the corroded casings of the once probably formidable sentinels. Lucca immediately began inspecting their inner circuitry, despite the impatient remarks the activity earned her from her companions. She had been tempering with simple robots herself, but so far only managed to create Gato, another attraction she and her father had prepared for the Millennial Fair. But Gato – a large, bulky machine of only quasi-human proportions – was nothing more than an automaton, a machine programmed to perform a simple task – battling those who wanted to 'test their might'. He was only programmed to play a cheesy song – her father's idea – then scan the surroundings for any moving objects, attack them – not too hard, of course – and then loose upon receiving a number of blows himself.

In short, Gato was nothing more than a flashy gizmo, capable of performing only the actions that he had been programmed to perform, much like the Dragon Tank. He did not possess artificial intelligence and that was what was interesting Lucca the most. As far as she knew, nobody on Zenan had been capable of creating an automaton with any semblance of artificial intelligence, although some of the military machines from the technologically advanced Porre had been rumored to have very sophisticated planning units. Unfortunately for her, the robots they ran into here – 3-foot tall chunks of once shiny metal – didn't seem to be capable of creative thought either. They had only been programmed to guard the underground and attack intruders, stopping only when – as she suspected – either being given a password or having the program terminated by a central signal. Still, they were much more advanced than any automata she had seen before, and thus couldn't resist the temptation of nicking a few parts out of them.

Having done so this time too, she got up and followed her two companions, who had been waiting for her impatiently. They followed the corridor they were currently in, hoping that this one – unlike the previous one they had taken – wouldn't lead to a dead end. The whole area was underground, but despite the lack of windows, it was only semi-dark inside. Placed in regular intervals along the walls were shining rectangles of yellow light, only slightly similar to the squares they had seen on the crested doors after exiting the Gate. Watching one as they were passing it by, Lucca felt her scientific passion itch again – whatever energy source was powering the lamps, as well as supplying power to the dome above, it had to be a mighty one, if it had lasted for so long after its creators expired.

"I _hate_ rats," Marle grumbled dejectedly, narrowly avoiding stepping into some more droppings, while a scruffy looking grey rat nearby ran away from them with a terrified squeal. Lucca wondered briefly how the rats had managed to survive down here – did they have some rat version of the Enertron...?

"At least it's not frogs," Crono chuckled behind her and Lucca rolled her eyes. Ha, ha, very funny.

Although true, she appended as they took a turn at a corner, as long as they weren't attacked by robotic frogs, she had nothing to worry about. But as soon as they passed the bend of the corridor and entered a square room littered with a few shabby crates and darkish chunks of metal, her thoughts were proven wrong. One of the chunks to their right – a very large chunk to be exact - suddenly erupted in shrill buzzing, and twinkling lights that resembled eyes appeared on it.

"Alert! Alert!" it announced in a mechanical voice, "Intruders! Executing program!"

Without further warning it rammed into them, before they even had the time to react to its presence in any way.

"Marle!" Crono and Lucca exclaimed in unison. The Princess, having moved ahead of Crono and thus to the front, had been hit the most and was sent flying across the room. The robot moved to block their path, splitting the group in two.

"I'm okay!" Marle shouted bravely, collecting herself from the floor.

"Hide!" Crono shouted back while reaching for his sword, "Behind those crates back there!"

Marle did what she had been told, scrambling away quickly and ducking between one of the metallic crates and the wall. Crono focused on the robot in front of him, the sword firmly in his hands. Unlike the ones they had encountered before, this one was not short at all, reaching probably well over seven feet. It had a sleek corpus, a neckless head and two hand-like extremities. It moved on wheels, or at least that was the only possible conclusion. But just like the other robots, it looked quite run-down and corroded, so there was a chance his sword would cut through its casing and innards just as easily.

From behind him, Lucca fired a few shots at the machine, but to little effect – only managing to chip off some of the flaky metal of its chest. Without giving it any further thought, Crono jumped forward to pierce through the robot, never considering that it probably had other offence weapons than just ramming into an enemy. It only occurred to him when the large, red button on the robot's chest lit up and shot a beam of red into his right shoulder, painfully ripping through his skin and sending him back and down to the ground.

"Idiot!" Lucca huffed, while grabbing the scruff of his neck and pulling him back into the corridor from which they came, to hide behind the corner. Crono struggled to his feet and soon was standing propped against a wall while Lucca was examining the wound.

"What exactly were you thinking?" she admonished, reaching into her pocket for a tonic.

"Well," Crono replied, trying not to whimper when she poured the green goo on the bleeding wound, "it went along the lines of 'me save the day'?"

Lucca snorted lightly, but didn't have the time to reply.

"Guys!" Marle's alert voice reached them from the room she was still in, "It's coming after you!"

Crono peeked out quickly from behind the corner, only to see the robot but a foot away from the turn. This, he concluded worriedly, hiding away again, was bad. In the long, narrow corridor they were like sitting ducks for the red beam, and he doubted the robot would be averse to using it again.

"Eliminate intruders!" the robot beeped once more, rolling forward. The two behind the corner were watching the bend intently while frantically trying to come up with a plan, but so far, to no avail. Yet as soon as the bulky dark frame of the robot began emerging from behind the corner, a loud clang of metal against metal reached their ears.

"Stupid robot!" Marle's outraged voice rang through the room in the back while a piece of metal swooshed past the robot's head, "Leave them alone!"

Crono and Lucca exchanged incredulous glances, realizing what was going on. The Princess was battling the robot by flinging chunks of the wreckage that was lying around at it! Another projectile flew past the robot's head and it paused, as if calculating the trajectory of the object and thus the position of the attacker. After the momentary pause, it turned around, probably to attack Marle instead. Crono moved to shout to the Princess to hide again, or to distract the robot away from her, but his eyes instantly caught a shining patch on the robot's back. A part of its metallic casing must've corroded and had fallen off, exposing its inner circuitry.

"There!" Lucca pointed to the shining patch and Crono slapped his forehead mentally. Honestly, he not only wasn't five, he was actually three months older than her! And he knew he was supposed to take the opportunity! Where was her faith in her elders!

Letting it pass for now, he hurriedly moved to grab his sword from where he had left it on the floor, and jumped at the robot, jamming the blade squarely into the hole in the casing. Electrical crackling went off within the gap and he hastily pulled the sword out, before he was shocked. Lucca quickly reached for her gun and added a few shots to the insult of the sword. The robot wobbled slightly in its tracks.

"Eliminate... intru..." It never finished its imperative, instead shaking violently for a moment and then falling forward with a loud thud that reverberated through the corridors.

"Phew," Lucca put her gun away and pushed the glasses up her nose, "we really are lucky scoundrels! Are you all right, Marle?"

The Princess, who had been just walking up to them as they stood above the fallen robot, nodded lightly. "I'm fine and are you... Crono!" She noticed the red stains of blood on his blue short-sleeved shirt. "You're wounded!"

Crono waved dismissively while tucking the sword away behind his belt, "I'm alright. Lucca gave me a tonic and besides, I'm left-handed." He grinned at his companions, pleased that for once, being a 'lefty' proved to be an advantage. But the Princess didn't give up, insisting that she have a look at the wound. Crono had to admit that being thus fussed over by a cutie like Marle was actually a very enjoyable experience and did not raise any more objections.

Leaving the two to their entertainment, Lucca moved instead towards the door on the opposite end of the room. Surprisingly, this one still opened automatically when she pushed the small black button next to it, as she supposed all the other doors here were originally intended to. The moment the door slid open, a wave of horrid, rotten stench wafted out of there and hit her nostrils like garbage hitting the trashcan.

Marle, currently busy with tying up Crono's already healing wound with the orange bandana he wore around his neck, wrinkled her small nose. "Phew! Something reeks!"

"I assure you it's not me, at least not yet," Crono hastened to declare. Marle grinned at him and finished up her ministrations at his shoulder.

"Well," Lucca sighed as the other two approached her, "at least we found the food storage area."

They did indeed. The room was enormous and filled to the brim with metallic cases, piled up on tall shelves. The shelves stretched into a large number of rows, and the rows stretched from the entrance far beyond the semi-darkness of the room.

Lucca moved along a line of the shelves, noting that many of the containers had suspicious holes in them. Or not so suspicious, she countered mentally when a scared rat ran past her legs. It wasn't all that plausible that the rats would bite through metal, but it was still more likely than that the rodents had a mini Rat-Enertron.

Crouching down, she inspected the contents of a crate through a hole in its front. "Everything's completely rotten. The refrigeration must have failed..." Balancing on the balls of her feet, she glanced up to Crono, who had joined her down the isle. "Still, the cataclysm must've happened at least some decades ago if not longer... I wonder how could they expect the food to last that long."

"The grains might've lasted," Crono replied, cautiously poking through a hole in a crate on the middle shelf and at a greyish mass of what probably used to be rice.

"Still...," Lucca began, but Marle's voice interrupted her.

"Um, guys," the Princess called from a few isles down, "I don't think it's only the food that reeks in here..."

Getting up, Lucca followed Crono towards Marle, where they found that the husband of the woman from above had made it this far... but not any further. His body – or rather what remained of it – was propped up against one of the containers, as if he had just sat down there and accepted his fate. Dark rags of what used to be his clothes covered most of his body and his head was heavily inclined forward, but they could still see his hands and parts of his face. Both were mostly skeletal by that point, yet still with lumps of half-rotten, half-dried up meat attached to them. Large chunks were missing out of the flesh, probably having been eaten away by the rats.

"Passed away long ago, I suppose...," Marle said quietly, trying to keep the meager leftovers of her dinner inside her stomach. "He's holding something... What do you suppose this is?" She turned to Crono, as if expecting him to be 'manly' and pick the object up, and Crono felt his eyebrows rise in incredulity. She had _got_ to be kidding! There was no way he was going to touch the corpse, he was already having problems with not barfing up the paltry meal he had been given in the prison!

Lucca sighed and shook her head. "Fine, fine, I'll do it." Squatting down next to the body, she carefully pried the man's still clutched fingers open with the tip of her gun, trying to avoid contact with the flesh. It wasn't that she was repulsed – apart from the smell that is – but corpses were hatcheries for diseases and she'd rather avoid picking up some futuristic mutation of cholera.

"It looks like some kind of seeds," she announced when the brown objects the man had been holding finally changed owners.

"Seeds?" Marle questioned, leaning over to have a better look. "Do you suppose they could grow in a place like this?"

"Even if not," Crono spoke up next to her, "they must've been important to him if he kept holding on to them like that."

Lucca got up and automatically dusted off her shorts and pocketed the seeds. "We'll take them back to the others above then. But first, we need to find the terminal Doan told us about."

And since her companions agreed, they left the depressing room and retraced their steps to the last 'cross-roads' in the maze of corridors. Leaving the poor guy in there didn't really seem all that right to them, but they had come here with a very specific purpose and, after all, he could wait. Not to mention that since the large robot that had rammed into them had probably been the most dangerous thing down here, the people from above could now come for the fallen man themselves. They probably could've done it before too, but just didn't know how corroded the sentries down here were. Or just no longer knew how to fight at all.

They found the terminal after a half an hour of searching the dimly-lit corridors. It was in a large room not all that far from the food storage area, and the terminal itself looked very much like the ones above, apart from not being broken or used as a table.

"Let's get to it then!" Lucca chirped excitedly and promptly sat down on the unbelievably dusty revolving chair in front of it. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't been familiar with the notions of either 'computer' or 'terminal' before, but fortunately, before they had ventured down here, Doan had kindly elucidated the concepts to them, at least to the extent that he understood them himself. Once thus enlightened, Lucca found the idea both incredibly practical and immensely appealing, and was actually amazed that there were no computers yet in their time. The technology was there already – at least for a _very_ simple one – but the idea just... wasn't. Needless to say, she would give a lot to be able to get her hands on the technical specifications of the apparatus, or preferably – on an entire library on the technological and scientific knowledge of this time.

But as it was she could only test various buttons in attempt to find her way around all the information stored within the computer and enjoy her time with the machine.

Behind her, Crono and Marle sat down against a wall, raising a cloud of dust in the process. They couldn't really help Lucca with her task – not that she would accept any help – so all there was for them to do, was to wait patiently until the purple-headed wonder girl completed her technical hocus-pocus.

As they sat in the silence of the room, interrupted only by nearly continuous clicks of the machine's buttons, the buzzing of the screen on the wall and random muttered remarks from Lucca, Crono's thoughts wandered into contemplating this future world. The way it was before the cataclysm, not the way it was now, a barren wasteland. It had been clearly very advanced and full of technology that Crono would never understand no matter how hard he tried. It had to be very convenient, he mused, thinking about the Enertron, the sliding doors and the robots that could probably be very useful when not set to kill anything that moved.

But on the other hand, he couldn't help feeling that this futuristic world also seemed somehow... cold and impersonal. The metallic houses and appliances had nothing of the warmth and natural charm Truce, and Guardia in general, had in abundance. However, he countered, reclining his head against the wall behind him, it could've seemed so only to his eyes, since he was as much of a traditionalist as most inhabitants of the Kingdom.

Guardia simply cherished its long history and tradition and did not pursue technological advancement. Electricity, for example, had been introduced almost a hundred years ago, yet although now even the most remote villages had their own windmills and generators, that was all there was to it. It did not bring forth computers such as the one Lucca was battling with at the moment, only a few simple improvements, such as refrigeration. And the people of Guardia still liked a warm fireplace better than any artificial sources of heat, and even went as far as to shape their lamps as sconces and torches. Clearly though, somewhere along the centuries the attitude must've changed. Or Guardia ceased to exist, he appended morbidly.

"I wish I had a weapon," Marle interrupted his thoughts suddenly. Crono turned to the Princess, who was biting on one of her nails with a very determined look on her face.

"I don't want to be a burden," she added, turning her blond head to him, "you know, like when you were fighting that robot and all I could do was hide and throw trash at him."

"That's not true," Crono countered honestly, "if it hadn't been for you, we would've gotten massacred there."

"Really...?" she glanced to him expectantly and Crono laughed inwardly. He had been right, she was nothing like some sugar-coated princess, even if appearances said so at first. No shallow pretty-face would attack a menacing robot with the bravery and ferocity the Princess had displayed.

"Yes, you saved our sorry behinds," he replied, smiling at her.

She smiled back, glad to hear a confirmation. "I still would like to have a weapon though," she added pensively, "but I don't think a sword would be my kind of thing."

"Then maybe you should get a gun, like Lucca," Crono suggested, mentally deciding that an image of Marle with a weapon seemed somehow... appealing.

But before she could ponder the option, and he entertain the image further, Lucca turned to them on the dusty revolving chair. "Well, I found it. The data on the cataclysm, I mean."

"And...?" Crono prompted, raising to his feet and offering Marle a helping hand up.

"And...," Lucca seemed to hesitate while they joined her in front of the console, "well, it didn't happen a few decades ago, but rather 300 years ago, in 1999."

Marle blinked at her in disbelief. "You mean that the world here has been like this for 300 years! That those people haven't seen food in 300 years!"

Lucca nodded pensively. "Yes. It does explain why they expected the food supplies to last – they just don't know much about food storage anymore, it's more like a legend to them, I guess."

"Plus, I've also found why there was such a large food storage here in the first place." Pushing her glasses up, she reclined in the chair and launched into a synthesis of what she had learnt. "The cataclysm decimated the population, literally, and mutilated the face of the continent. After some time, when the survivors began organizing themselves again and discovered that vegetation was simply impossible here anymore, at least at the time, they decided to set out to other lands, hoping that other areas, which hadn't been hit directly, were more hospitable."

"Do you remember the laboratories to the west Doan mentioned?" The other two nodded slowly, recalling the old man's words. "That was simply a large center for scientific research, on the outskirts of one of the largest towns of this continent. Numerous scientists worked there, many from other parts of the world, and those lived here, so naturally, they had to have food supplies. So when the survivors decided to leave this area, they gathered up all the food they could find and couldn't take with them, added it to the remaining supplies here – for any possible later use – and set up the security system."

"The data ends at that point, which was less than a year after the cataclysm, but I'm guessing that they found the rest of the world to be just as inhospitable and returned here. Only that it probably was years later, many years perhaps, and they found they could no longer operate the security system. In time, since the Enertrons were in constant use, the idea of material sustenance had grown into a legend and the general technological and scientific level of the people degenerated to a point where they could hardly even operate the machines around them, forgetting a lot of what are basic concepts to us."

Crono and Marle listened to the story in silence, imagining the agonizing journey of the survivors, many of whom had probably lost not only their previous lifestyle, but also their entire families.

"And what caused the cataclysm?" Crono asked finally, still incapable of imagining anything that could bring forth such mass destruction.

Lucca pushed herself back up in the chair, since she had been steadily sliding down the seat. "That is actually another surprising thing. You see, I thought it might've been a natural disaster, like a meteor strike or something similar, but it wasn't so. It had been caused by a living organism, a giant living organism called Lavos, which appeared suddenly and – as unbelievable as it sounds – started bombarding the earth with magma. I've even found footage–"

"Footage...?' Marle frowned questioningly, not knowing the word.

"Apparently, it's like photos, only moving," Lucca explained promptly and her companions nodded slowly. They were familiar with photography, but _moving_ photos...?

"Here," Lucca added, turning back to the console and running her fingers swiftly over the controls. "Look for yourselves."

With a faint buzz, the screen on the wall, which had been full of letters and diagrams, switched to what they assumed was 'footage'. They watched in silence, both too shocked by the scenes of destruction to be amazed at seeing moving representations of the world. The footage lacked sound and the images seemed shaky, but what they saw was enough. Most scenes showed images of large, sometimes enormous, whirling balls of fire hitting a town full of mind-numbingly tall buildings and objects they had never seen before. In one scene, a man was as if talking to them, his eyes full of fear, while one of the fiery missiles was heading right at him behind his back. It ended before he was hit but they doubted he had made it.

The last scene was the most astounding. It showed the ground from above, as if somebody was flying, and in the midst of explosions and fire they saw and enormous spiky creature that looked somehow like a mammoth reddish hedgehog or a porcupine. It would've been funny, wasn't it for the fact that the fire balls destroying the world were originating somehow both from and around the creature, shooting off in all directions.

The scenes ended there and the group remained silent for a few moments, trying to accommodate the knowledge into their minds.

"This...," Marle began finally, raising a weak hand to her forehead, "...this can't be the way the world ends..."

Crono didn't know what to say to that, especially since it really was the way the world had ended, at least the kind of world they knew. Lucca, having made herself familiar with the data before, only waited for them to collect themselves from under the weight of the information.

Suddenly, the Princess let go of her forehead, her eyes full of determination and resolve. "There's only one thing we can do! We must change history!"

Her companions blinked in reply.

"You know," she continued unwaveringly, gesturing to Crono, "Just like Crono did when he saved me! Okay!"

"Theoretically," Lucca replied, pushing her glasses up, "that shouldn't be possible."

Marle bristled up slightly. "We know about it in advance! I mean, when we go back into our times, we will know about it in advance! So why not?"

"You didn't let me finish," Lucca admonished the idealistic princess and Crono hid a smile. She really didn't like it when people interrupted a technical lecture of hers. "It shouldn't be possible, because if we did somehow change history, then when we came here, we wouldn't have learnt about the cataclysm, since it would've never happened."

Crono frowned, feeling both that she was making his head spin and that there was something wrong with what she said.

"But," Lucca countered herself pensively, "the same should've applied to when 'we' saved you, Marle," she did have a hand in it after all. "Since you would've never existed, then we shouldn't have had any memories of you after you disappeared, since we would've never had known you."

"But you did remember me, right?" Marle frowned, unsure where Lucca was going with that.

"Yes, which is why I'm beginning to think that perhaps when a person is misplaced in time – is time-traveling, I mean – then their actions in the past, and the subsequent changes to the flow of history, don't affect their knowledge of their time from before the change. Only their existence, or maybe crucial events in their lives, I don't know yet, can be affected by their actions in the past."

"Or maybe," she added again, clearly floating away into her own world of scientific exploration, "the change creates a paradox – like the fact that if you had never existed, you couldn't have been mistaken for the Queen, meaning that you couldn't have caused yourself to cease to exist – and time alters itself to return to a state of balance, reaching the same final point via altered intermediary events, meaning that you were only temporarily misplaced and would've returned either way, or that the Queen would've died in some other way."

Her companions stared at her as if she had suddenly sprouted wings.

"So," Marle sighed, once more raising her slim hand to her suddenly aching head, "is it possible or impossible to change history?"

"It is possible that it is possible," Lucca replied thoughtfully, evidently not seeing anything wrong with her answer.

"Then why did you tell us about all this...?" Marle asked, blinking in confusion.

Lucca pushed her glasses up and looked at the Princess in equal confusion. She thought it rather important to know what you can and cannot do, and where you stand in general, before you set out on a heroic escapade of changing history!

Crono decided to cut in, seeing that they would not reach any productive conclusions if they kept following the current line of discussion. "The real question is, what can we do to change history? Assuming that it is possible."

"We have to somehow stop Lavos," Marle replied firmly.

"But how...?"

"Actually," Lucca cut in, "we should first do more research on Lavos and his origin and only then look for a way to stop him... it, whatever. As it is, we don't know much about 'him', so there's little we can do."

Marle considered it for a moment and then jumped up suddenly. "Then let's go back home and check if anyone knows anything about Lavos. It's the closest to this time before the cataclysm we can get, right?"

"There's another option," Lucca glanced up to them pensively from her chair, "when I was looking through this computer, I found also something else. You see, there used to be a lot of sensors placed in the whole area. They were used for various purposes, from checking the weather conditions to monitoring something called 'traffic'. Surprisingly, many of them still work fine and they were actually so accurate and advanced that they picked up even our Gate."

"But," she pushed her glasses up again, "they also picked up another Gate, some ten miles to the west. According to the map – it's from before the cataclysm, so I don't know how accurate it is now – that other Gate is in 'Proto Dome'."

"Can those sensors determine where does the Gate lead to?" Crono frowned in thought.

"No, only going through it can do that, I think," Lucca replied musingly. "But who knows, it might lead to a time closer to the cataclysm than our times. So maybe we should take the chance or at least check it out."

Crono considered it for a moment. "Since we can always come back here and go through the first Gate to our times, I'm for checking out the new Gate."

Seeing that her companions were finally beginning to see things her way, Marle beamed at them. "Then let's go change history!"

And with that optimistic accent, and one last longing look at the computer from Lucca, they left the premises and the basement altogether.

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"You're back!" Doan exclaimed, with surprising vigor for somebody his age, when they emerged from the door leading to the underground area.

"What did you find?" he asked, while the crowd of equally amazed inhabitants of the dome – they clearly expected them never to return – gathered around them.

"We found that the cataclysm was caused by Lavos," Crono replied, unsure whether they should mention anything about their resolve to change time.

Doan frowned questioningly, but before he could reply, a man from the crowd cut in. "Who cares, where's the food!"

Marle sighed woefully. That was the bad news. "I'm sorry, all the food has rotten."

"Don't try to eat it," Lucca added, remembering that they had little knowledge of food. "You'd probably give yourself food poisoning."

"These seeds," she reached into her pocket, "are all we could find."

"'Seeds'...?" Doan repeated slowly, as if trying to recall all that he knew about 'seeds'.

"You should plant them," Lucca added, wondering if they would ever manage and handing the seeds to him. "You don't know how long the Enertron will hold out. These seeds might be your only hope."

Doan kept looking down onto his wrinkled hand, where the brownish seeds were resting. He had only a vague idea of what one was supposed to so with seeds, even though he had always been the one to gather and pass on the stories of the life before the cataclysm. But those young ones from the past were right; they had to at least try.

"What're those?" asked his little granddaughter, pulling on his sleeve so that he'd let her have a better look.

"They just might be our future...," he replied pensively, regretting that he couldn't live long enough to see earth be green again. But maybe she could.

"And what are you three going to do now?" he asked finally, shaking the grim thoughts away.

Crono and Marle glanced to Lucca meaningfully and she pondered the question for a moment. They couldn't really tell Doan and the people here that they wanted to change the past. Not only it might mean offering them false hope, but more importantly, if they managed, many of those people might never come to be. It was a necessary sacrifice if they wanted to save the world as a whole, but still...

"There's another Gate to the west, in Proto Dome," she replied finally, deciding to think about it later. "We are planning to go there."

Doan nodded to himself slowly, considering the information. "Then you should stay here for tonight. It's already dark outside and Proto Dome is close to the robots' territory. It's dangerous to go there, especially after dark."

"Robots' territory...?" Crono prompted questioningly.

"Yes," Doan replied, heading back towards his comfy though somewhat moldy chair. "That whole area is under the control of the robots. The ones further to the west are very bloodthirsty; they are somehow convinced that it's their prerogative to kill all humans. Needles to say," he sank back into the armchair, "you don't want to go there."

The three time-hoppers sat back onto the bench, taking in this new gruesome fact about the world of 2300 A.D.

"But some are rather benign, like the band that controls the old laboratories. They are led by a robot that calls himself 'Johnny'."

"Johnny...?" Marle repeated incredulously.

Doan nodded, smiling under his white moustache. "But the other robots call him... what was it?" He turned to a teenage boy nearby.

"'The man'," replied the brown-haired boy who looked surprisingly vivacious, especially in the context of his generally depressing surroundings. "They're not that bad, Johnny only wants to race anyone who wanders in there and calls everyone 'babe'. It's actually fun. You can race him, if you want to get to the Proto Dome faster."

The trio looked at him in continuous incredulity while Doan chuckled to himself. "Yes, I used to race there when I was young too. But enough about that. You need some rest now so let me find you a place to stay for the night." With that, he got up once more from his chair and motioned for the three to follow him.

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"I'm starting to think that we should've raced Johnny," Marle announced as they trudged on through the storm of red dust under the dark skies. But since they knew very little about 'racing', the group had decided to take the biped route to Proto Dome and had been walking for hours.

They had spent the night in Arris Dome, in one of the numerous rooms up on the gallery. Centuries ago, when Arris Dome was still an info center and the home of the scientists, the room had been undoubtedly very appealing, with rounded walls and doors, and a long, narrow window that probably used to offer a great view. But now it was just like the rest of Arris Dome – decrepit, rusted and dirty. Still, a bed was a bed and they tried to get as much sleep as possible while simultaneously trying not to think about when was the last time the blankets had been washed.

They had even had a go in the Enertron, learning that although it was not much of an experience – just a minute of a nap inside the cabin – it did indeed restore their energy. Unfortunately – like Doan had told them – still leaving them feeling hungry. When morning came, they set out on their way, quickly learning that there were only two stages of day here – darkish and dark. Currently, it was 'darkish', meaning that they could see their surroundings clearly enough to notice the massive amounts of wreckage and ruins to their left.

It was the laboratories, at least they assumed so, and beyond it – the town the destruction of which they had seen in the footage. The ruins seemed to stretch as far as they could see, in mounds, knolls and outright mountains of crumbled buildings and general wreckage. Some of the buildings had collapsed only partially, the tips of the once nearly sky scraping constructions still proudly erect, although most at very unorthodox angles. It must've been quite a sight to see when the town had been intact, and all felt that they would've enjoyed a trip to before Lavos destroyed it. That is, if they didn't know what would be about to happen.

"And I'm starting to think," Crono replied to Marle, while the wind struggled to rip a few spikes out of his hair, "that I should've told my mum about the whole time-traveling thing. She must be worried sick right now."

"That reminds me," Lucca spoke up, her hand over her glasses in a desperately futile attempt to keep the dust from smudging them, "don't you find it odd that time seems to flow with pretty much the same speed on both sides of a Gate?"

The heads of the other two turned to her in puzzlement. No, not really.

"Erm, could you be a little bit more clear on what you mean?" Crono proposed finally.

"Well, when we went back to the Middle Ages, we spent an entire day there. We had left our time in the morning, yet when we came back, it was already evening, just as it was when we were leaving the Middle Ages."

"And it's not supposed to be like that?" Marle asked, glancing to Lucca questioningly around Crono, who was walking in the middle.

"I don't really know since that's actually the first time I'm time-hopping," Lucca replied pensively, as if it was somehow unexpected that it was her first time. Which, considering how many other inventions as crazy as the Telepod she had cooked up before, in a way was. "But from what I read, I would've expected that such a time Gate would bring us back to the exact same time we had left. It's just... strange." She frowned, slightly annoyed at not having enough data to decipher the exact workings of the Gates they had taken.

Her companions didn't really have anything to say to that; if she didn't know, then they most certainly didn't know either. And they were delivered from the exertion of thinking about the matter by a new sight coming into their view. A cloud of the red dust had dispersed and in a distance to their right they saw a range of mountains, ragged and uninviting. One of the peaks stood out so prominently and sharply against their surroundings that they instinctively paused in their tracks, all experiencing an irrational shiver running down their spines.

"Do you think that this is the Death Peak Doan told us about?" Marle asked quietly, her eyes still fixed on the sight of the mountain.

"Probably," Crono agreed, observing the mountain as well.

Before they left Arris Dome, Doan had given them directions on how to get to Proto Dome, mentioning that on the way they would pass by 'Death Peak' and that they should not attempt to climb it. He had not offered them a description of the peak, saying only that they would know it once they saw it, and now they could perfectly well understand what he meant. The peak was overwhelmingly tall; it seemed to nearly pierce through the dark clouds that forever shrouded the skies of this world. The top half of the mountain was covered by snow, and in the context of the dark, sullen scenery around, it stood out as so blindingly and bedazzlingly white that it seemed somehow unnatural and ominous.

"Not that I want to climb it," Lucca commented, watching the peak with her hand still shielding her glasses, "but do you remember the old 'crackpot' one of the men from Arris Dome mentioned?"

Her companions nodded in confirmation. When Doan had been telling them about Death Peak, one of the men around joined the conversation. He said that near the foot of the mountain lived an old man, a 'crackpot', as he had put it. The man had suddenly appeared in the area some twenty years prior and ever since then had been living in what came to be known as the Keeper's Dome. It was called so – and the man as the 'Keeper' – because unlike the rest of them, he still possessed very high technical skills and scientific knowledge. Unfortunately, he was also rather antisocial and focused solely on some work he deemed the most important thing in his life.

"Well," Lucca continued, "when somebody is into science and is called a 'crackpot' that usually means they know things others don't." She should know, having been called a crackpot many a time herself. "So maybe we should pay him a visit? He might know more about Lavos."

Crono considered it briefly. "I see your point, but it looks like a long walk, while we're already tired and still have more walking ahead."

"Yea," Marle agreed, "I don't think I could make it all the way there and then back again."

Lucca sighed, agreeing with them despite feeling that the trek might prove worth the effort. But they had no food – nor a pocket Enertron – and didn't even know what they would find there. "Alright, alright, let's just carry on to the Proto Dome then."

They walked on for another hour, until finally a dome appeared from behind the red dust not far ahead of them. It was nearly as large as Arris Dome, but they knew that unlike Arris Dome, it was currently unoccupied. Doan told them that there were other human settlements beyond the ruins of the city, but nobody lived in Proto Dome because it was too close to the robots' territory.

Cautiously, they approached the dome, hoping that the robots hadn't decided to expand their territory to incorporate the building. With equal caution, Crono opened the door, or at least tried to. Unlike the doors in Arris Dome, this one was resistant to his manipulations and opened only when all three of them pushed against it, power full on.

"At least it means that probably there's nobody inside," Marle observed, pushing a few sweaty and dust covered bangs away from her eyes once the door screeched open.

"Let's hope so," Crono agreed, entering the dome.

The girls followed him and they walked on through a short, dark corridor and into a spacious room. In the semi-darkness, dispersed only by the feeble sunlight from the narrow and dirty window nearby, they could see glass panels, computer terminals and a few overturned desks and chairs, all covered by the customary thick layer of dust.

"I wonder what this building used to be," Lucca surveyed the surroundings, having cleaned her glasses once more. "It looks like another info center, or maybe a research center."

"Hey, look!" Marle pointed towards the far end of the room, where in the shadows they could see a sturdy-looking metal door leading further into the dome. Next to door sat a heap of run-down metal, rags, dust and rats. The rodents blinked their red eyes confusedly and scampered away the moment the group approached the pitifully derelict pile.

"What is it?" Marle frowned, titling her head to the side.

"Incredible!" Lucca murmured excitedly, crouching down next to the large object. "It appears to be a humanoid robot!"

Quickly, she pushed away the rat feces covered rags and some of the dust from the machine. It truly was a humanoid robot; it had a large, bulky corpus, originally of golden color; a round quasi-human head and very humanoid limbs, legs included. Lucca swiftly scanned the state of the robot, easily finding the removable parts of the casing that allowed her to peak into the machine's internal workings. Its circuitry was very complex, even beyond her understanding, and her hopes of finding artificial intelligence in this post-apocalyptic yet futuristic world rose higher. They had been high ever since Doan told them about the robots forming bands, for whatever purpose, and now it seemed that she might have a chance to lay her hands on what she wanted.

"It's in bad shape...," she muttered mostly to herself, "but I think I can fix it." Apart from the edge of time, the robot didn't seem to have sustained any damage. It was unbelievably dirty and somewhat rusted, and the rats have bitten through a few wires, but that was all the harm she could see.

"What!" Marle jumped up upon hearing Lucca's declaration. "It might attack us!"

Lucca glanced up to her briefly before reaching out to start cleaning away the filth that covered the robot. "Machines aren't capable of evil... Humans make them that way. Even the ones Doan told us about, the ones wanting to kill all humans, either had to be programmed that way or their artificial intelligence must've incorporated an error that led them into such a state."

Marle looked down to the purple-haired scientist, catching the softness in her voice. "Lucca, you... pity them, don't you?"

Lucca didn't reply directly to the question, being as ever unwilling to discuss her emotions with others. Instead, she reached into her pocket for the trusty screwdriver she never left home without. "Let me get to work now, okay?"

"You might just as well," Crono joined the conversation next to them. "This door here won't open no matter what I do, and since the Gate must be somewhere deeper in the dome, we could use the help of this metal guy here."

"I'll double my efforts then," Lucca grinned to him briefly and focused on the robot.

While she worked, Crono and Marle inspected the remaining parts of the room, but without success. The door next to the robot was the only one leading further inside, and the overturned desks contained nothing of interest. Only crumbling pieces of paper, rat feces and rats themselves. Giving up, they sat down on two of the rusted metal chairs and waited patiently while their friend toiled at her task.

It didn't take Lucca long to finish repairing the robot. There wasn't that much to repair except for rejoining as many of the torn wires as she could and removing the grime from the main processing units. All in all, less than half an hour of work.

"All right, that's it," she informed her companions, turning on the robot's power supply unit.

Stepping back a few paces, she waited for the results of her manipulations, while Crono and Marle joined her side. At first, nothing happened, but after a moment a faint buzzing sound began spreading from the robot. And after a few crackling electrical noises, its round, artificial eyes lit up with bluish light.

"Good morning!" Marle smiled, deciding that a first good impression was an important factor, even when dealing with a robot. Or maybe especially when dealing with a robot.

To their surprise, the robot struggled to its feet, whereupon it performed a polite bow. "Good morning, mistress." Its voice was mechanical and somewhat coarse, but clearly of male quality. Instantly, their classification of the new acquaintance changed from 'it' to 'he'. "What is your command?"

Marle laughed lightly, her previous fears wholly obliterated in view of the robot's outstanding politeness. "I'm not your 'mistress'. I'm Marle! And this is Crono," she gestured to her spiky-haired companion, who nodded, experiencing a slight sensation of misplacement, "and here is Lucca. She fixed you!"

"Understood," the robot buzzed mechanically, "Madam Lucca fixed me."

Lucca laughed too, in satisfied excitement. It seemed that the robot was indeed capable of artificial intelligence, as suggested by his complex, multi-centered circuitry. Now she wanted to test how advanced his programming was and how much room for more development it had. "Just Lucca will do."

"Impossible," the robot replied, "that would be rude." Somehow, he failed to notice that such blatant disagreement was equally rude.

"Look," Lucca waved her hand, "I hate formal titles. Don't you, Marle?"

"Hate 'em!" the run-away princess agreed vigorously.

The robot processed it for a moment. "I understand, Lucca." Apparently, the imperative of obedience won over the imperative of politeness.

"So what's your name?" Lucca asked, pushing her glasses up.

"Name?" he questioned mechanically, "Ah, my serial number. It's R-66Y."

"R-66Y?" Lucca repeated in consideration. "Cool!"

"No!" Marle shook her head at once. "That won't do at all. Come on, Crono, let's give him a better name!"

Crono, who had been satisfied to be but a silent participant of the exchange, glanced to her in mild amusement. She was the one to object to the idea of fixing the robot, but now that it was evident he posed no threat, she seemed to have instantly accepted him as a sentient entity.

"Robo?" he suggested finally, feeling that he was sloshing near the bottom of the originality pool.

"Robo...," Marle considered pensively. "That's perfect! Your new name is Robo, okay?"

"I am... Robo," the robot newly christened as 'Robo' buzzed in reply. "Data storage complete."

Yet although he claimed 'data storage' as complete, it seemed that 'analysis of the current surroundings' was only starting. Robo turned his round head around, and they could somehow swear he was confused. Or would've been, were he human. Or was, being a simulation of a human. Oh, who knew.

"What happened here?" he asked finally. "There were many humans and others of my kind in this dome."

Lucca pushed the glasses up her nose. It was hard to say whether Robo was referring to times before or after the cataclysm, but it seemed safe to assume that he had been either turned off or otherwise disabled even before Lavos destroyed the future. The thick layer of filth that had been covering him when they found him confirmed the assumption. "There was a large cataclysm, over 300 years ago, which decimated the population and nearly leveled all buildings and constructions."

She paused for a moment, offering Robo the time to process the data before she continued. "We've come here through a time warp from the year 1000. While exploring Arris Dome we learned there was a Gate here and we found you when we came looking for it. But the door to the inner rooms of this dome is locked and we cannot reach it. Can you help us with the task?"

Robo seemed to consider the information carefully and then turned to the impenetrable door to inspect it in detail. "This door will open only if the power is supplied to this facility. Currently, the power is off. If we go to the factory up north, I can pass through security and activate this dome's generator. But the generator won't run for long, so someone must stay behind to open the door while the power's on."

The three time-hoppers glanced to each other. The idea was doable, even though chances were they might run into some of the human-hating robots if they went up north. But they've made it this far, so neither was averse to the idea. However, it meant that weapons were a necessity in the mission, and that left Marle as the designated door-opener.

"All right," Marle agreed when her companions fixed her with questioning glances, "I'll stay."

"Great!" Lucca wasn't all that eager to go fight robots, but she was very much looking forward to spending more time with Robo and assessing his programming. "Then we'll be back as soon as we can and you keep an eye on the door!"

Marle flashed her a smile. "Of course I will. And you three watch out for yourselves!"

With that, her three companions left Proto Dome and headed north, to the abandoned factory Robo mentioned. Sighing, Marle pulled a chair closer to the door and sat down, prepared for the long wait. Truth be told, she was glad to stay, since she was beginning to discover that not all adventures were necessarily fun. She was cold, hungry, tired and most of all – dirty. Not to mention ill-prepared for adventuring. She didn't have any weapons and her white clothes of a tube-top and loose trousers were the last thing she should be wearing. Currently, her clothes were white only by name. The long trek – and the night in Arris Dome – left them crumpled and stained all over. Her hair was not much better either – the red dust had settled into it so firmly that it was now more reddish than ever. And sweaty, slightly greasy and sticking to her face.

Sighing once more, she attempted to brush away some of the dust from her trousers. Hopefully, Crono could see past the dirty surface... As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a faint blush blossomed on her face. This was not the time to think about the fact that she was beginning to like Crono. ...Even if it was a very pleasurable thought, she appended with an even deeper blush.

Sighing yet again, she reclined in the chair and focused on her current situation instead. The adventure didn't bother her, quite to the contrary, it was what she had always wanted, to be able to learn of the world on her own. But father... Frowning, she instinctively crossed her arms on her chest. Father, and everybody else in the castle for that matter, from the Chancellor down to the servants, never let her go anywhere, or do anything on her own, always wanting her to 'be a good princess'.

It was obvious to her why it was so, she wasn't stupid. She was the King's only daughter and since her mother was dead, she was also the only successor to the throne. Which meant that if anything happened to her, the throne of Guardia would fall into the hands of her distant cousin, whom neither father nor the Chancellor considered worthy. He wasn't worthy, because he supported technical advancements, and agreed with Porre's policy – that tradition was a thing of the past and that Guardia should drop those anachronistic ideals. So instead, they wanted her to be the puppet-queen, who would be nothing more than a symbolic guardian of tradition, under the control of her advisors.

But what about _her_? Her as a person? Didn't it mean anything to them what she wanted? Didn't father... care about her...?

Her perturbed thoughts were interrupted by a sudden buzz and a flash of light. The rectangular lamps on the walls lit up, and even though they were covered by dust and grime, the room was suddenly much less dim than before. A slight frown creased her forehead again. Wasn't she supposed to do something...?

"The door!" Jumping up a foot in the air, she recalled her door-duty with full clarity and quickly moved to press the button next to them. The door jerked slightly open with a hiss, and she hurriedly pushed the heavy slab of metal fully open. After a moment of consideration, she grabbed another chair and set it against the door frame, just in case.

Her duty over and a sense of fulfillment firmly in her mind, she returned to her own chair. Now she just had to wait for the others to come back and they could continue on their journey. But as the thought of the journey and its purpose crossed her mind, her brow wrinkled again. They couldn't let Lavos do that to the world! There had to be a way to stop him before it was too late! But... how?

Biting slightly on one of her nails, she spent the time before her companions returned on intensive thinking. There was a vague memory at the back of her head, one telling her that she had heard the name Lavos before, but just couldn't recall it for the life of her. It was a very faint feeling of having forgotten something, something somehow related to her personal history teacher and watching a bird on the windowsill behind her window...

But the memory wouldn't come back no matter how hard she tried to will it so, and she was on the verge of giving up anyway when the others returned.

Yet what she saw when they entered the dome was the last thing she was expecting. Crono and Lucca were dragging a very roughed up looking Robo behind them, while both looking very roughed up themselves.

"What happened!" Marle hurried to ask at one while they dragged Robo to the center of the room.

Crono straightened up, wiping away some sweat mixed with blood from his forehead. "We ran into Robo's buddies. I mean, robots just like him but with a _very_ different attitude towards humans. They called him a defect who has forgotten his true objective of 'eliminating all intruders' and then beat him up."

"Of course," he added, collapsing into the chair Marle had been sitting on before, "once they were done with him, we were next on the menu. And let me tell you, you don't want to fight a gang of human-hungry robots, _ever_."

Marle's eyes widened as she took in the numerous bruises and cuts on her companions. They had come out victorious, but it was clearly a victory with a painful price tag on it.

"Can you repair him, Lucca?" Crono asked, reaching into his pocket for the tonic Lucca had given him earlier. Marle quickly offered to help him apply it – who said she couldn't enjoy it...? – while Lucca frowned as she was checking the damage Robo had sustained.

"He is in bad shape... but maybe," she replied finally, the screwdriver already in her hand. "Good thing I took out those parts from the other robots." She had been collecting various interesting parts during their entire stay here in the future, but after Robo had been trashed, she nearly dismantled one of his fallen 'brothers', taking as many parts as she could carry.

This repair was much more complex than the first one. Robo not only had many indents in his casing – she couldn't do anything about that at the moment – but also many of his multiple AI centers had been damaged. Luckily, the memory bank survived, meaning that he would retain his memories and wouldn't have to start from the scratch.

She worked long after Crono's wounds had been tended to, and long after her two companions had fallen asleep. Even long after the generator stopped working and the light in the room returned to the state of being rather shadowy. Fortunately, she managed to repair Robo's power supply and the main AI units before the sunset, so now she could turn him on and use the light of his artificial eyes to repair the rest.

As soon as she switched him on, Robo expressed his foremost worry.

"I'm a defect..."

Lucca sighed to herself. That was what seemed to bother him the most in their encounter with his metallic brothers. That, and learning that his purpose was to kill humans, even if only intruders. She hoped he wouldn't decide to follow that objective. But...

"That's not true," she told him firmly, pausing in her work to look into his bluish, round eyes. "A toaster can be a defect, but not a sentient being. And you are a sentient being. So whatever path you may take, even if it's killing humans, you won't be a defect. Nobody is."

"Whatever path I may take...?" Robo questioned after processing her reply.

"You know," she gestured vaguely with the screwdriver, "what you decide to do in the future. After all, it's up to you what you decide to do."

Robo remained silent for a moment. "No one has ever told me so before..."

Yea, she figured, Lucca thought, frowning slightly. It was clear to her that the engineers of this future world perceived their intelligent creations as machines, free source of labor. But in her opinion the line between automatic machines and sentient beings was very clear, and if you decided to create a sentient being, you had to take responsibility for it. Much like with having children.

"What is your path, Lucca?" Robo interrupted her thoughts.

Lucca laughed lightly. "Right now it's preventing the cataclysm that destroyed this world."

"You... are trying to save our world?"

"I don't know how far we'll get, but that's the plan." Robo didn't reply, perhaps processing the information in detail and she returned to her work.

It took her two more hours to repair the basics of his automotive functions. It was a fixer-upper repair, but it should hold out even longer than Robo needed to complete the repairs himself, as she inferred he was programmed to.

Getting up, she moved to wake up the other two. The door was open and Robo was repaired, so there was no need for them to stay in this inhospitable world any longer.

"Whaaa...?" Marle questioned sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"I finished," Lucca replied simply and moved to shake Crono awake. As always, it took him a while to re-grasp where – and most importantly who – he was, but he finally managed to reconnect the loose links in his mind and struggled to his feet.

"Good morning," Robo greeted them with a bow.

"Robo!" Marle exclaimed in surprise, "You're all right! Lucca, you are amazing!"

Lucca laughed in reply. "I hope I'll never have to do that again..."

"Lucca," Robo turned to her suddenly, "I have made up my mind. I want to go with you..."

Marle blinked in surprise, not having witnessed their conversation. "Pardon?"

"There is nothing left for me here. Together, maybe we can give this planet of ours a chance."

Lucca pushed her glasses up, experiencing an odd feeling of pride. She knew he wouldn't decide to kill humans! "That's a great plan. So let's go! The Gate is just up ahead!"

Pulling a still very groggy and reluctant Crono behind them, they entered deeper into the dome and quickly found the Gate. Without further delay, Lucca pulled out the Gate Key and the newly formed party of four entered the blue whirl, all hopeful for the future. Except Crono, who still wasn't entirely sure why on earth he was entering a blue hole he was sure he had never seen before instead of being in his bed.

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I hereby cast Review spell on all of you. ...It works.


	5. Chapter 05

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews:** Thank you, three wonderful beings, two of whom review regularly (thy sacrifice shall not be forgotten!) who have reviewed!

**SaiyanLegend1:** Thank you! Yes, I skipped Trann Dome to save time. After all, you don't learn anything new in Trann Dome and Lab 16, it's only an excuse for more fighting areas. The same applies to why Death Peak was on an island, I think – so that there could be the Sewers and Sir Krawlie. But what was fun in the game, just wouldn't make much sense in this fic, so since I could cut it out without losing anything important to the story, I did ;) As for Magus, I'm not going to go for either of those personalities. I will add some general angst, naturally, but nothing to the effect of making him either a wuss or a perpetually depressed teenager ;) And don't worry about being critical – I'm very open to critiques since I know I still have a lot to work on, sadly...

**zipis1**: Hahaha, thank you! I think that the Gate might've led either to Medina or to the Mystic Mountains, since those are the only other Gates at the End of Time. But true, there are way too many questions left unanswered in the game! As for Marle, I did it for two reasons. One, it's not very realistic that a home-kept princess would have a crossbow with her at all times. Two, I wanted to show her growth and determination in not being just a sweet princess. She is a bit of a scatter-brain, and a horrible flirt (at least with Crono), but she does develop throughout the game and I wanted to emphasize that.

**The Dragon Sorceress:** Hahaha, thank you! I would offer you my spell book, but judging from your main CT story (which I'm yet to review despite having enjoyed it a lot... cough) you don't really need spells to make it popular!

**Note:** I slightly altered Spekkio and Medina Village, just for the fun of it. Still, the events of the chapter generally follow the game. Also, I played around with how they learnt of Magus and Lavos, and with the original history of the Mystic War. In the game, it's not really explained how come the Mystics worshipped Magus before Crono & Co altered time while completely disregarding him after time was altered. Originally, Magus was probably killed – or assimilated – by Lavos, while in the CT time, he got sucked into a Gate. The difference is slight, yet if you go back to Medina Village right after waking up in the Prehistoric times (long before Magus can join the party), already the statue of Magus is replaced by the statue of Ozzie. I'll try to compensate for that, and also for how the Mystic War happened before Crono & Co meddled with it.

Also, I think I'm going to give up on going deep into the Marle/Crono part. I'm not a 'shipper of the pairing, though I like it, and it's just too much fun to focus on Lucca!

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_Chapter 05 – The cupboard full of magic_

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Entering the new Gate, the third one they had encountered, Lucca had been prepared for many things, but certainly not for what they saw upon leaving the blue nothingness that stretched in between one time and another. The Gate had deposited them to what looked like a square with an intricate golden fence around it. And beyond that fence stretched... nothing. A black, endless expanse of nothing. No shadows lurked within it, nor any sounds. Just... nothing.

"Where are we...?" Marle asked next to her, and Lucca turned to her companions, who seemed just as astounded by their new location as she was. As she turned, she noticed another strange thing. Usually, when a Gate deposited them to the new time, it would disperse, as if having served its purpose. But this time, it remained. Only that it was no longer a blue whirl, but a light-blue pillar of light. And what was even stranger, there were two more identical pillars next to it.

And that was not all. Out from the square led a narrow path enclosed by more of the golden fence. Frowning, Lucca walked into it and the others followed after her, although Marle had to pull Crono by a sleeve. The path led to a small wooden gate, behind which they could see a small square as if cut out from a street, complete with paved ground and a streetlamp.

And under the streetlamp, an old man with white bushy moustache, dressed in a brown bowler hat and long brown robes was dozing off happily, as if a street hanging in a middle of nothingness was the best place for such activities.

"Uhh?" Crono blinked, finally starting to come to terms with the reality of being awake. "What time is it?"

"We don't know yet," Lucca replied, deciding not to go for the 'quarter past five' joke that passed through her mind. Approaching the snoozing old man, she cautiously jabbed his arm with a finger, curious if he was even alive.

The man woke up with the accompaniment of a pop of the spit bubble he was just blowing. Blinking, he searched for the source of disturbance and quickly found three people and a robot standing in front of him. "Ah, more guests...!"

Lucca fixed him with a questioning look. "What do you mean, 'guests'...? And, WHERE are we?"

"Why, this is 'The End of Time', of course! All lost travelers in time wind up here!" He seemed to beam at them, for whatever reason. "When 4 or more beings step into a time warp, the Conservation of Time theorem states that they will turn up at the space-time coordinates of least resistance. Here. Disturbances in the space-time continuum have increased recently. Far too many folks are just popping in here... I fear something is having a powerful effect on the very fabric of time..."

"Hmmm," Lucca considered the news carefully. "That's not possible."

"Pardon?" The old man seemed astonished that anyone would refute the reality around them so easily.

"It's not possible that this is the 'End of Time'. If it was the end of time, time wouldn't flow here. And since here we are, talking and thinking, then time must flow here."

"Ah," the old man stroked his long moustache amusedly, "that's a valid assumption, my dear."

'His dear' pushed her glasses up and was about to launch into further divagations about the nature of their new location, but Marle cut in.

"But... how do we get out of here?"

"See those lovely pillars of light?" He gestured back to where they had come from. "Those work like Gates, although you can see your destination through them. And with a simple modification of your innovative Gate Key," he gestured to Lucca, in whose pocket the Gate Key was resting, "you'll be able to use any Gate to come back here. But like I told you already, only 3 beings can use a Gate, so..."

"Logically," Robo supplied, "one of us must stay here."

Marle turned to him in incredulity. "Stay HERE? ALONE?"

"It is pretty bleak here..." The old man agreed candidly. "But not to worry. All time periods connect here... You can visit your friends whenever you wish."

"I do not experience boredom or strain," said Robo in his mechanical voice, "then I propose I stay here. Please come for me whenever you need me."

The girls and the almost fully awake Crono glanced to each other. Robo did have a point; unlike for them, for him it would be neither boring nor strenuous to remain here. However, Lucca decided firmly, she would find a way for all of them to travel together.

"Problem solved," the old man observed and looked as if he was about to doze off again, yet suddenly remembered something. "Oh, before you go, take a peek inside the room behind me!"

The wooden door behind him, one that led seemingly to nowhere, was among the very few objects to be found on the surrealistic street corner. Other than the streetlamp, the serene old man and the door, there were only two potted plants and a strange bucket that was glowing blue.

"Come on, it won't hurt to try... I hope," Marle headed towards the door, while her companions followed.

Inside, they found a surprisingly spacious room – paved ground and golden fence included. And in the middle of the room stood a white and fluffy hyperactive creature. Or so it seemed, since as they were to find out, perception was but a feeble attempt of penetrating reality.

"What're you lookin' at?" the creature eyed them suspiciously, the long, white fur on his ball-like corpus bristling up slightly.

"What... who are you?" Marle blinked.

"I'm Spekkio, the Master of War!" His tone was dead serious, self-assured actually. "I've seen all kinds of battles from here. So how do I look to you guys? Strong or weak?"

The group looked to each other, unsure whether he was even for real. "Strong," Crono ventured finally, since if he was, then that was clearly a tricky question.

The creature seemed placated somewhat. "Well, let's put it this way. If you're strong, I look strong. If you're weak, I look weak." Definitely a tricky question.

"You are strong of will... That's why the Old One let you through. Alright, I'll teach you magic."

Lucca raised a questioning eyebrow. "Magic?"

"No, folk dancing. Yea, magic! Quite a little skeptic, aren't ya?" He might've been the 'Master of War', but clearly he was not the 'Master of Politeness'.

Lucca was not amused. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

The white fluffy ball rolled his round eyes. "By magic, of course, what else! Now shut up and listen. Once, people could use magic. There was even a kingdom once where everyone could use magic. Yet as time went by, people forgot all about it and now most have no idea that they could all use magic. Well, not ALL, most are just too dense for it. But you have it... determination, I mean. Magic needs power of the heart. It needs inner strength."

"I don't feel any more magical than I've always been, which is zero," Lucca commented dryly.

"And you won't, unless you stop interrupting me," Spekkio fixed her with a scolding glance. "As I was saying, Magic is divided into 4 types: Lighting, Fire, Water, & Shadow. Not just magic, but EVERYTHING is based on the balance of those 4 powers. Those born with magic have a natural inclination for one of the elements. You, with the punk hairdo! You're 'Lightning'. The one with the ponytail is 'Water'. ...The skeptic with goofy glasses is 'Fire'."

"Now, think 'MAGIC', and, starting from the door, walk clockwise along the walls of my room 3 times. And no cheating, I'm watching you!"

Lucca rolled here eyes. This was plain ridiculous. Even if people could control the elements – although what kind of an element 'Shadow' was? – which was doubtful to begin with, how was walking around a room under the vigilant eyes of a white fluff ball ever going to affect such abilities?

"Oh, come on," Marle grinned at her and promptly launched into a perky walk along the golden fence. Crono gave a small shrug that clearly said 'I dunno' and followed after the Princess. Lucca sighed inwardly. Fine, fine, she'll walk too. And on the plus side, if it worked, she'd have a whole new field of knowledge to explore!

And thus, among such discrepant attitudes, they performed the requirements and once more faced Spekkio, who had been keeping close tabs on their movements.

"Heh, heh," the fluffy creature grinned roguishly, "did you dolts really think that would work...? But now, for the real thing!"

Before they could voice their opinions on his little 'joke', the air around him seemed to thicken, while his pink face crumpled in effort as he uttered something that they hoped was not a standard 'spell'. "Ipso facto, meeny moe... MAGICO!"

This, Lucca thought in the meantime, was the epitome of ridiculousness. But just as the 'Master of War' finished his silly incantation, something exploded inside of her, sending a shockwave along her spine and spreading to every pore and cell of her body. She felt as if she was on fire, or at least standing in fire, and looked down to her hands, which seemed to smart the most. They looked just as normal as ever, and she wasn't on fire at all.

"Well, skeptic," Spekkio turned to her smugly, "wanna try out your new skills? Just stretch out your hands, think of fire and concentrate."

Still dazed and disbelieving, Lucca slowly stretched out her hands. And as she thought of blazing fire – one that would engulf Spekkio, preferably – an odd tingle ran down her arms and into her palms and fingers. Without any warning, a small blast of fire shot from her outstretched palms.

"Yikes!" startled, she yanked her hands back and the fire disappeared.

Next to her, Crono and Marle were staring at her with wide open eyes and slack jaws. "Wow", they said almost simultaneously.

"See?" gloated Spekkio, "Told ya! Magic is the thing! Now, you two! Try it out for yourselves!"

While Crono and Marle repeated her performance, although with different elemental results, Lucca was looking down at her hands, deep in thought. Fascinating, she admitted openly, her mind already buzzing with an onslaught of ideas and analysis. She was just as sure as before that this wasn't 'magic', not in the sense of being something inexplicable and arcane. There had to be an explanation for it, and she was eager to find it. Was it possible to replicate the phenomenon artificially? Why did some people have magic and others did not? And why did they vary in the type of abilities they had?

Next to her, Crono successfully brought forth a small lightning, while Marle conjured up a gust of icy cold air that could freeze everything in its wake. Lucca's thoughts shimmered with determination. There had to be a rational answer for all this and she, Lucca the Great, was going to be the one to find it!

"Nice!" Spekkio commented appreciatively, "You're still weak as puppies, but practice and your magic will grow! And if you practice long enough and put your heart into it enough, you will learn new things too."

"New things?' Crono prompted.

"Hypnosis, paralysis, ensnaring, controlling. But also good things, like healing. You, ponytail one," he nodded to Marle, "you have the aura of healing. Practice, and you'll be good at it."

Marle frowned lightly. "But how do I practice something I can't do?"

"Just listen to what your guts tell you. You can only learn what you're predisposed to learn, and those skills will manifest themselves once you're ready. Just keep an eye out for them. Plus, the more you practice, the more resistant you'll be to the magic of others."

"And that's it?" Marle asked. "No secret spells or the like?"

"There aren't really any secret spells." Spekkio grinned again. "Those are just for concentration. You can make your own or pick up somebody else's, up to you. But incantations do come in handy with the more powerful spells."

The three considered the news, feeling slightly disillusioned in Marle's case. But it seemed Spekkio had enough of them for the time being. "Once you've reached a decent level come back and try yourselves out against me. Remember, I am the Master of War! See ya!"

Thus dismissed, they turned to leave. At the door, Lucca paused and turned back to the white fluffy ball.

"One question. Why did you give us those abilities?"

Spekkio looked up to the non-existent ceiling for a moment. "The way I figure, if I keep waking magic in humans, one of you dolts might finally be able to restore the balance."

"The balance...?" Lucca prompted, slightly curious.

But Spekkio wasn't cooperative. "Yea, the balance! Are you lot all hard on hearing or something? Now watch the door on your way out!"

Shaking her head, Lucca left him to whatever it was he did with his time here, and followed her companions towards the pillars of light, once more saying goodbye to Robo on the way.

Crono and Marle were watching the three new Gates curiously, unsure where they led.

"Umm...," Marle began, "didn't that old man say that we could see where we were going through those? But I can't see anything!"

"Step into one and check then," Lucca suggested.

Marle considered it briefly and stepped into the middle pillar.

"Wow! I really can see things through it! But it's a little unclear... like a water reflection."

"What do you see?" Crono prompted.

"I think it's Proto Dome, it sure looks like it. Let me test another one!" Stepping out of the pillar, she quickly jumped into the left one.

"Hmmm... I can see lots of trees and a village in a distance. But I don't think that it's our times. The village looks... sort of primitive."

Lucca fixed her glasses. "I wouldn't be so sure that's not it; we have lots of primitives in 1000 A.D."

Marle laughed, stepping out of the pillar. "Not that kind of primitive! Let's check the last one." Quickly, she submerged under the shimmering blue light of the right pillar.

"It's really dark in here... And I can see china..."

"China...?" Crono felt a sudden need to scratch his head.

"Yes... Plates and cups... Wait, there's a crack here! I can see a bit of something that looks like a house in our times!"

"Then let's take it," Lucca replied, "we can always go back through it and check out the primitive villages later. But right now I could really use some food and sleep, preferably in my own home." She twisted her neck, eliciting a few cracks from it. She had spent long hours of the day fixing Robo while the other two were taking a nap; sleep and food sounded unbelievably appealing at the moment.

"And a bath, most importantly a bath," Crono added, stepping into the light pillar next to Marle.

Nodding in vague agreement, Lucca joined them. She pulled out the Gate Key to activate the Gate, but found it wasn't needed. As if knowing that they were ready, the Gate's light intensified and soon they were plummeting through the blue whirls of time. Most interesting, Lucca thought groggily on the way, fighting the sudden impulse to close her eyes for a short nap during the trip.

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"Ouch!"

"Stop pushing!"

"Watch the plate!"

The doors of the cupboard couldn't take the pressure any longer and sprang open. The three time-travelers fell out of the cramped compartment and onto a hard wooden floor. The china in the cupboard jingled, shaking and falling off the shelves. Marle and Crono grabbed whatever they could, but a cup slipped their fingers and shattered on the floor.

"Hey! What do you people think you're doing? Jumping out of our cupboard like that!"

Lucca struggled to her feet, pushed the glassed up her nose and surveyed their new surroundings and the owner of the annoyed voice. An Imp, she found immediately. They had landed in a quaint little house, or rather its wooden kitchen, and judging from the sight before them, it belonged to Imps. Two of the ass-headed creatures were sitting at a table, under a cheerful window with frilly curtains, currently at dinner. Or rather at desert, since they had been eating pieces of sweet-looking cake. One of the owners, a blue Imp, was pointing a whipped-cream stained fork at them, an accusatory look on his naturally smug face.

"Sorry about the cup," Marle piped in apologetically. She and Crono were stacking the china they caught back into the cupboard.

Lucca heaved a sigh. There we go again, she thought, preparing an explanation. "We didn't choose to land in your cupboard, a time-warp brought us here. And yes, sorry about the cup. But could you tell us where and WHEN we are?"

"Oh, great, we have a time-warp in our closet," groaned the other of the Imps, a mud-green one. It had a high-pitched voice, so apparently it was an Impess. "And it just had to drag humans in here, _retarded_ humans at that."

The blue Imp put down his fork with a sigh. "A time-warp, eh? Stranger things have happened. And you're in Medina Village, in the year 1000 A.D."

The three cupboard spit-outs glanced to one another.

"At least we're back in our own times," Crono said finally, "but Medina Village...?"

Marle frown in concentration. "If I remember my history classes right, Medina Village is the main settlement on the Medina Continent, populated mostly by the Mystics who settled here after the Mystic War to avoid persecution."

"Persecution, hnh," grumbled the Impess, picking at her cake with a fork, "we just had enough of you humans."

"But," Marle frowned again, "why are you being so... fairly nice? Mystics aren't supposed to get along with humans."

The blue Imp shrugged indifferently. "Humans fought the Mystics over 400 years ago. My motto is 'forgive and forget', but not many seem to agree with me. Most still hold a grudge against humans, so you better watch your backs in the village." He gestured towards the doors, prompting them to get lost and let them enjoy their cake.

But Lucca had one more issue on her sleepy mind. "From what I recall, Medina Continent is pretty much isolated from the outside world. Do you know how we can get to the Zenan Continent?"

The blue Imp creased his brow-less forehead. "You can ask that weirdo human who lives nearby, just two hours of a walk to the west. He's an arms dealer and travels to Zenan sometimes, so he should know. What was his name again...?" he turned to the Impess questioningly.

"Melchior," she replied in a tired, 'I told you a million times before' tone of voice.

"Melchior?" Crono blinked, recalling his time at the Fair. "But didn't he go to the Millennial Fair?"

"You mean that silly circus you humans are so wound up about lately?" the Impess asked, swinging her stubby legs as she sat on her chair. "Nah, I heard he's back already. Too much crowd, he said."

"Sounds good enough to me," Lucca said, stifling a yawn. "If he could go to the Fair, he should know how we could get to Zenan. Let's go."

"Bye," Marle waved to the blasé Imps on their way out. "Sorry about the cup again."

"Just stay out of our cupboard!" the Impess shouted behind them as the door was closing.

Outside, they found themselves on a street paved with dark cobblestones. Various houses and buildings stood alongside of it, and a clear distinction between two types of edifices was apparent. Some, like the house of the Imps behind them, were built pretty much in the human style, with sloping roofs, smooth light-colored walls, square wooden windows and even with curtains and flowerpots.

Many other however, were made of dark brick, with curved windows and architecture that clearly aspired to be 'ominous'. There was even a rickety spire with a wizard-hat type of a roof further down the road, although it looked as if it was about to collapse. It seemed that while some of the Mystics preferred comfort and peace, others opted for some Mystic edition of 'style'.

They had to admit though, the dark architecture did have a potential for being ominous, and probably would've been if the weather was more favorable to the gothic Mystics. Instead of an evening with a dark sky and gloomy rain, it was a bright mid-afternoon, and the sunlight pouring down from the skies greatly diminished the psychological effects of their efforts.

There were a few Mystics on the street, Imps, Diablos, Henches and whatnot, pursuing their Mystic businesses. Most only glared at them contemptuously when they stepped out onto the street, but one tall and bulky Hench stopped in front of them.

"Humans, hnh!" he literally spat the word at their feet. Crono's hand instinctively reached for his sword, but the Hench didn't seem in the mood for a fight. He only eyed them up and down with obvious disgust and went on his way.

Lucca sighed resignedly. "I'm dead tired and hungry, but I think that we should go to Melchior's directly. Even if we found an Inn here, I'd be too worried about being either poisoned or killed in our sleep to go there."

"Agreed," Crono replied.

Marle tilted her head. "Can you hear that...? What's that weird chanting?"

The other two strained their ears and soon they too caught a distant hum of chanting, somewhere under the noises of the street around them.

"Probably some Mystic ritual, but we can go see," Crono suggested. "The Imp said that we should go west to Melchior's, so it's on our way anyway."

Since his companions didn't object, they followed the street towards the source of the noise. On their way, they passed by the rickety tower they had seen from afar. It was attached to an obviously 'ominous' building, made of dark brick with arching windows and reddish touches. Or at least it would've been ominous, if it wasn't for both the weather and the two Imps outside. They were toiling at the ropes in the front, hanging out the laundry, and the sight of a slightly billowing pair of giant white underwear completely nullified the ominousness of the rickety tower.

"I hate this job," one of the Imps grumbled, adding a bedsheet to the ropes, "Ozzie VII is only using his ancestors' fame to boss us around. I should be the Chief!"

"Shh," the other one admonished, glancing warily towards the open window, "he'll hear you!"

"Did you minions say something...?" came a gurgling voice from inside. Neither of the Imps replied, their pointy ears flat on their round hairless heads. But as the three time-travelers were already past the house, they heard a very disgruntled grumble.

"This work is brutal..."

On some level, they actually felt sorry for the 'minions'; having to wash and hang out such giant underwear definitely was brutal.

Following the street, they soon found the central square of the village, and also the source and cause of the chanting. The square was quite vast, with tufts of grass growing in between the cobblestones of the ground and with a raised pedestal in the middle. Many Mystics were gathered around the pedestal, performing something that looked like a ritual dance, and their voices blended together into a monotonous, humming chant. They were clearly venerating the object placed on the pedestal, an object Lucca and Crono recognized at one.

"Oh, lord," Lucca groaned, "he's made a comeback!"

"You have to admit, though," Crono added, his lips quivering, "they've improved at singing... slightly."

Marle looked at them questioningly. "What is it? What's with the statue?"

Lucca pushed her glasses up. "It's the Magus statue we've seen in the cathedral in 600 A.D. when we were looking for Queen Leene. I doubt it's the same statue, but it looks pretty much identical."

"Magus and the Mystics...," Marle repeated slowly, looking again to the scythe-wielding figure on the pedestal. Her brow wrinkled in thought, and gradually, her expression changed to one of such deep concentration that her companions could only stare at her questioningly. "I was looking out of the window... Mr. Oakleaf was there..."

"Marle...?" Crono ventured, but the Princess suddenly jumped up.

"I remember now! I remember where I heard of Lavos before!"

Crono and Lucca's eyes could easily be mistaken for huge question marks by that point.

"It was at a history class," Marle began hastily, turning back to them, "I was only half paying attention, because Mr. Creekstone, my history teacher, was arguing with Mr. Oakleaf, you know, the one from the Royal Library...?"

Crono and Lucca nodded, still not sure where she was going with it. But they were both familiar with Mr. Oakleaf, Lucca in particular. The Royal Castle of Guardia wasn't just the home of the royal family, but also the home of many public institutions. It housed the court, the prison, the annual meetings of the land representatives, numerous beaurocratic offices and also the Royal Library and Archives, of which Mr. Oakleaf was the head librarian and archivist. He was also a very passionate historian.

"They were arguing about the Mystic War; that was the subject of the class. Mr. Creekstone claimed that Guardia won the war simply because it finally prevailed over the Mystics. But Mr. Oakleaf countered him, saying that the Mystics claimed that Magus was assassinated by the humans, who–"

"Well, duh!" a gruff voice cut her off. A disgruntled looking Diablos was standing right behind them and must've been listening on their conversation. "You stupid humans sent assassins armed with that damned magic sword! Oh, Great Magus, why didn't you exterminate them all?"

Marle jumped up again. "That's what I meant! The Mystics claimed that the humans assassinated Magus because he was about to bring forth Lavos and destroy the human race!"

"Exactly!" A plump Hench nearby joined the conversation, yet his agreement was only superficial. "But don't kid yourselves, filthy humans! As soon as Magus's creation, the mighty Lavos, awakens from his long sleep, the human race is doomed. DOOMED!"

"Creation...?" Marle repeated slowly. Mr. Oakleaf didn't mention that!

Lucca looked around cautiously. The raised voices were attracting attention of many of the Mystics nearby. So far, the Mystics of Medina Village didn't seem that bloodthirsty, but the angry expressions of the ones worshipping the Magus statue told her that if they hanged around too long, they might get lynched as a collective symbol of the humans' crime.

Marle looked as if she was going to continue her historical discussion with the Diablos and the Hench, and Lucca reached out to grab the Princess' sleeve.

"I think it's time we were on our way," Lucca whispered meaningfully, pulling Marle back to the street they had come from. Crono easily grasped her intentions and began backing up after them, with a sheepish smile that said 'we're ashamed to be human... at least for now'.

Once out of the square, they broke into a run, turning hastily into the first side alley. They followed it towards the end of the village, where they could finally stop and catch their breaths.

"Did you hear that?" Marle began at once, "he said that it was Magus who created Lavos! We have to stop him!"

Lucca eyed her doubtfully from where she was hunched over against a side of a building. "Even disregarding the dubiousness of Magus' existence, you're suggesting that we go meddle with one of the cornerstones of Guardian history!"

"Dubiousness...?" Marle frowned. "What do you mean by 'dubiousness'?"

"Lucca doesn't believe Magus existed," Crono cut in, "she supports the theory saying that the Mystics 'imagined' him."

Lucca straightened up and threw him a scolding glance. "Not 'imagined'! Fabricated for the purposes of war and unification!"

Marle looked from one to the other for a moment. "What are you talking about...? Everybody knows Magus existed and led the Mystics into the war!"

"Then please tell me how he looked like," Lucca said, pushing the glasses up her nose. "And I don't mean something like – I more or less quote here – 'he be death come to life; shrouded in the shadowes, he swoopeth downe on his enemyes and calleth forthe the darkeness to devour them'."

"...All right," Marle admitted reluctantly, "that does sound a little far-fetched. But what about the statue? And besides, you can't really know whether that wasn't true. Yesterday, I would've never expected to use magic, but now we've met Spekkio and can use magic ourselves!"

Lucca shut her mouth that was already open to voice further objections. True, that was a valid argument, especially since Spekkio did mention a 'Shadow' element, whatever it was. As for the statue, it was easy to say that the Mystics fabricated an effigy of Magus to add flesh to their beliefs, but one thing bothered her – why did it look so human? Of course, for all they knew some Mystics could very well look human, but if the Mystics had indeed created a fake image of Magus, she would've expected them to incorporate elements common to them. Not use a human model.

Finally, she sighed. "Okay, let's say that it's possible Magus existed. And had created Lavos. But even so, trying to stop him could mean altering history beyond recognition! Accidentally, we could cause the Mystics to win the war, or blink ourselves out of existence!"

"And do you have any other ideas on how to stop Lavos?" Marle challenged her with a small grin.

"Hmph!" Lucca pushed her glasses up. "Fine, fine, you win. We go back to 600 A.D. and screw around with history. But before that – and I mean it! – we do some thorough researching on the events of the war. Let's at least try to avoid Mystic-fying the world."

Marle jumped out in victory. "All right! Then onwards we shall go!"

Without waiting for her companions, she pivoted around and marched west, although this time around the village rather than through it. Crono, with a slightly miffed expression, followed after her, motioning to Lucca to follow too. Sighing once more, Lucca obliged. Soon, they passed the village altogether and found a small path leading west, among green groves and tall, waving grass. The sun was slowly edging down towards the horizon, but it was still sunny and bright. With the sunlight dancing on the leaves and birds chirping in the distance, the Medina continent looked peaceful and appealing.

But Lucca didn't have the energy to appreciate the scenery. In general, she enjoyed nature, despite being a technology supporting individual. Perhaps it was due to growing up on a secluded island and thus learning to value the peace and quiet offered thus. Yet right now, she had a major headache, was devilishly hungry and badly needed sleep. She had spent long hours first walking, then repairing Robo and then being spat out by a cupboard in the middle of a Mystic village. And on top of that, she had freshly learnt that she could use 'magic' and that they were now to travel to the past to look for a historical mage who might've or might've not existed in attempt to prevent a cataclysm that was to happen in a 1000 years. Without even knowing whether they could prevent it or not.

Sighing again, she reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose under the glasses. Marle might've been displaying appalling disregard for proper preparations and research, but in an uncanny spark of logic, she was right. The cataclysm caused by Lavos was real; there was no denying that. They could just say 'who cares, it won't happen for a 1000 years!', but... It just didn't seem right. In an odd coincidence, they had been given a chance to prevent it and it would've been inhuman not to try. And since the only clue they had so far led to Magus and the Mystic War, that's where they had to go.

She could only hope that Magus would turn out to be an Imp in disguise, who had been tempering with things he didn't understand and had accidentally brought forth Lavos. Then they would whack him firmly over his ass-shaped head, tell him to behave and go home.

Oh, yeah. That would be good.

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Since the last Review spell worked so well, this time I'm casting a Double-Review Ultra Magical Meeny Moe Spell!

...You heard me.


	6. Chapter 06

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews:** WOW! The Meeny Moe spell really worked wonders! I hearby offer honor to where honor is due and bow to Spekkio! Or to **The Dragon Sorceress**! Or both!

**ShadowCatYumi08: **Hahaha, thank you and I hope you will continue liking the characters as they develop! And actually, I'm not entirely sure if it's a novelization as such or a story or whatnot. Whatever, it's fun to write! ;)

**SaiyanLegend1:** Thank you! I kept Heckran cave, for side purposes, but modified it, as usual. I am indeed a Lucca/Magus fan, they are a great combination of maniacs, probably the best I've seen ever ;) And thank you in Marle's name! I don't think her stupid, although at least partially ditzy. But she is definitely not an Aeris type of a heroine and I wanted to show that. Lucca will continue having struggles with magic and the arcane for quite a while yet, since it will become quite an issue later on. As for Cyrus and Glenn, I think they're only the brotherly kind, although who knows ;) On the other hand, I do think there was some Cyrus/Leene action, and I intend to make a mention of it, though without going to deep into the matter (the fic is horribly long as it is!) And thanks again for reviewing:)

**zipis1:** Hahaha, I can't wait for the Lucca/Magus parts either, and I can only hope those won't be disappointing. I am definitely going to try my best and will probably hurry through the less relevant parts. On the other hand, from now on Magus is present in every chapter, as Lucca is trying to dissect him in advance ;)

**The Dragon Sorceress:** Wow, that protest really worked! (Or Spekkio's magic formula, though I'm more willing to believe in the first ;)) And thank you very much for both the praise and reviewing!

**Shaded Mazoku:** Thank you! I was indeed trying to balance it out and keep up with the atmosphere of the game and start off with full lightheartedness to slowly slip into darker climates. And I'm glad you liked my take on Lucca, she's really fun to write that way and offers great creative opportunities!

**Ronarah:** Thank you and I hurry to supply! I'll try to keep up a decent speed of updates too!

**GoldenSunGeek:** Then mayhap a Magus clone...? ;) Thank you for the barrage of reviews but don't feel obliged to review! I'm glad to have any, so whenever you feel like it – or not – is more than enough for me! ;)

**Indigo Tantarian:** Hahaha, everybody is looking forward to Magus! I'll try to meet the expectations then ;) And thanks for reviewing :)

**Note:** This chapter is a filler, meaning that I invested into building atmosphere and introducing a few facts and ideas that will be returned to later on. Just like most of the reviewers, I'm really looking forward to doing the Magus' Castle part, since it was one of the things that inspired the fic. I don't know how long it will take, but probably two or three chapters only!

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_Chapter 06 – Mages, Crossbows and Drunken Parties_

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The house was small and cheerful, with creamy walls, a green roof and an odd mini-tower. Basked in the glow of the sunset, it looked inviting and certainly non-ominous. Keeping up with politeness, Crono raised a hand and knocked on the wooden door. They didn't have to wait long for a response.

"Come in, come in, whoever you are!"

The door opened with a slight creak under Crono's hand and the weary travelers stepped inside. The found themselves in a cozy room, with a kitchen to the side and wooden stairs nearby, leading down, probably to a basement. At the table near the window sat a figure familiar to Crono and Marle. Still dressed in his colorful attire of blue and orange and with small round glasses up his nose, Melchior looked just like he did... some days ago, they had no idea whether the same amount of time passed for him as it had for them.

Melchior was turned towards them with a jovial half-smile. "Welcome! Here to buy some weapons, I presume?"

"Actually," Marle began, taking a step closer to Melchior and his table, "we're here sort of by accident. On Medina, I mean. Do you know how we can get to Zenan?"

"An Imp told us that you might know," Lucca added.

Melchior regarded them carefully. His eyes slid over their dirty clothes, the red dust still clinging heavily to their hair, the unmistakable spots of bruises and the dark smudges of oil on their skin. But the longest his eyes lingered on Marle. Most specifically, on the small pendant hanging on her neck.

"There's a boat owner on Zenan who comes over every two months and brings me supplies. Or takes me there and back when I so desire. But I'm afraid that you're a day too late. I came back from the Millennial Fair only yesterday, and he won't be coming here again for over a month."

A collective sweatdrop appeared behind the group. A month on Medina...?

"But don't worry," Melchior waved dismissively, "you can also go through the Heckran Cave. It's in the mountains to the north; you probably saw them on your way here."

They nodded in confirmation. Yes, there were some mountains not too far away to the north.

Lucca frowned. "But a cave? If it's connected to Zenan under the sea, then it's going to be quite a trek. If I recall right, Medina Continent is at least fifty miles away from Zenan."

"No, no," Melchior waved again. "There's a warp in there."

Lucca pushed her glasses up in incredulity. "A warp...?"

Melchior nodded contently. "Indeed. It takes you straight to the shore of Zenan. Or at least close enough."

Getting up casually, he moved towards the kitchen, gesturing for them to follow. "You see, I sometimes chat with the Mystics who live in the cave. I fix their weapons, and let me tell you, those need fixing often!"

While talking, he picked up a kettle and filled it with water. "Tea?'

"If it's not a problem, then with pleasure," Marle smiled at him, sitting down on the kitchen chair near the small table.

"None whatsoever, my dear. And you two?" Crono and Lucca didn't have to think long about it and nodded, muttering their thanks. Melchior added more water to the kettle and pulled out four cups from the cupboard. "Those Mystics told me that to go to Zenan, you just have to jump into a water shaft at the end of the cave and you'll be delivered straight to the sea near the shore of Zenan. So basically, either whoever had set the warp up botched the job, or the water level had risen considerably since then."

"But a warp...?" Lucca questioned, thinking about her Telepod. As far as she knew, her invention was the first of its kind on Zenan! Most scientists even questioned the possibility of teleportation! "How did it get there? And how does it work?"

Melchior stroked his bushy yet well-kept moustache. "I don't have a faintest idea. Some things just have to be accepted as they are, I guess."

Lucca was about to protest, but Melchior waved her aside. "The more important thing is that the Mystics who live in the cave truly hate humans. They tolerate me, since I'm useful, but I doubt they'd appreciate a few humans dropping by to use the warp. And to make the matters worse, many of them are quite scaly and rather on the impenetrable-by-steel side, so it's said that only magic can bring them down."

"Actually, we sort of know magic," Marle grinned, without really thinking whether it was safe to tell people that they knew magic.

"I see," Melchior replied after a short pause. "Then you should make it through."

"It doesn't astonish you that we know magic?" Lucca asked, sitting down next to Marle.

The water in the kettle was boiling already and Melchior poured it in to the four cups. "I've lived a long life and I've seen many things. If I can accept a mysterious warp, why not magical humans?"

"Good point, I suppose," Lucca agreed idly.

Melchior chuckled to himself. "Indeed. But enough about that. You young ones look tired and quite run-down, to be honest. If you want to, you can stay here tonight. I don't have much food, being an old bachelor, but I'll add a decent dinner to that tea."

The three 'young ones' glanced to each other. It was a very generous offer, especially since Melchior didn't really know them. Although considering that he lived among human-hating Mystics, there were probably very few things that he feared.

"Thank you," Marle smiled at the hospitable old man once more.

"My pleasure. I don't get many visitors here, especially young and pretty," Melchior replied, his eyes twinkling over the rim of the cup as he took a sip of his tea. "Unfortunately, I have only one spare bed, but I do have some blankets, so you should manage. You can also take a bath, if you so desire. The bathroom is right over there," he gestured towards the door in the back.

Lucca stretched slightly. "Then if you don't mind, I'll do so at once. I'm practically falling asleep on my feet."

"Go right ahead. The facilities are rather old-fashioned, but this is Medina after all."

The facilities were indeed old-fashioned, Lucca found once she entered the bathroom. The bathtub was large and wooden, with a water pump next to it and a stone-covered hearth underneath. Meaning that she had to first get a fire going and then significantly add to her tiredness level by pumping up the water, but it was more than worth it. Although she was not obsessive about cleanliness, the amount of grime on her had long since passed acceptable levels.

But the long hot soak also added greatly to her drowsiness, so she was only half-aware what she was doing afterwards. After lazily pulling on her still dirty clothes, she stumbled back to the main room. The dinner was already waiting for her; her companions had lent Melchior a hand and produced a surprisingly tasty stew. Plopping down at the table, she wolfed down her portion, only vaguely aware of the conversation between Melchior and Marle. They were talking about life in Medina and Mystics in general. Or something.

Once the warm meal was resting comfortably in the depths of her digestive tract, Lucca pushed herself up from the chair again.

"The guestroom is right next to the bathroom," Melchior gestured as she got up. "I've already laid out some blankets."

"Crono volunteered to sleep on the floor, so we can have the bed, if you don't mind sleeping together," Marle added, a spoon full of stew firmly in her hand.

Lucca waved vaguely. "That's fine. I doubt I would notice it even if you snored like a hog."

Ignoring Marle's indignant 'I don't snore!', she headed straight for the spare bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was simple yet cozy, and a great improvement from the filth-flooded room in Arris Dome. Taking off her helmet, utility belt and orange smock, she deposited them on a chair nearby and sat down on the bed to pull off her heavy boots. They stunk, she noticed idly, and pushed them under the bed. Setting her glasses down on the nightstand, she plopped down on to the bed. It was only semi dark, the dusk was still in full swing, but the light was too dim already to be a nuisance. Something at the back of her head was telling her that it was interesting that they had left Proto Dome in the evening, yet arrived to Medina in mid-afternoon, but she swatted the bothersome thoughts away. Even the mind of a genius needed a respite sometimes.

Whether Marle snored or not, Lucca didn't find out that night. When the chirping of some overly frisky birds outside woke her up, it was bright morning again and her companions were already missing from the room. Yawning, she sat up on the bed, reaching for her glasses. Nope, Crono and Marle were still not in the room, even with enhanced vision.

"And one, two, three!" Jumping out of the bed, she performed a few energetic stretches and bends. Screw fitness, some exercise in the morning improved blood circulation and thus further added to her already restored brainpower. And today, she was going to need it, there was a lot to be done. They had to get to Zenan, she had to modify the Gate Key, then research the war and establish some doable course of action. And find answers to at least some of the questions that were swirling in her mind already. Contrary to popular belief, the life of a genius was very demanding.

Wasting no more time, she collected her possessions and stepped out of Melchior's guestroom.

"...so a crossbow would be good for me?" Marle's voice wafted into the main room from somewhere below, probably the basement.

Setting her helmet firmly on her head, without trying to restore the order of her hair – there had never been any order to begin with, so why bother – Lucca headed down the wooden stairs. They led to a spacious cross between a workshop and a study. A tall cabinet full of books stood to the side, the scrumptious tomes practically begging her to come inspect them closer. The walls were full of weapons, mostly swords of various shapes and lengths.

Marle and Melchior were standing in the middle of the room, discussing the sleek looking crossbow that was resting in the Princess' hands, while Crono was quite predictably busy inspecting the swords on the walls.

"Yes," Melchior replied, stroking his moustache, "if you don't mind my saying so, you're too weak and inexperienced to start off with close-range combat. And with a crossbow you can keep enemies at bay from afar."

Marle raised the crossbow to her eyelevel, experimentally taking aim. "It is very light, and feels comfortable but... I don't really have much money on me." She offered Melchior an apologetic smile.

Lucca yawned and did a few more stretches. "I bet Crono still has some. Probably more than enough, he mugged at least a dozen guards!"

Crono turned from where he was standing captivated by a fancy looking sword. Frowning, he inspected his pockets and soon produced a large pouch and some loose coins. To his surprise it turned out to be more than enough to pay not only for the crossbow, a holster and spare arrows, but also the red sword he had been admiring. Needless to say, he didn't even hesitate.

"Are you sure it's okay, Crono?" Marle asked with a slight frown. True, she could always repay him later, but considering her current status as a runaway princess, it wasn't all that clear when that could be.

"Hmmm?" Crono glanced up from his new sword. "Yes, don't worry about it. Easy come, easy go." It really did come easy; to be quite honest he was surprised himself how successful he turned out to be at mugging. He had been so successful that he could even take it up as a lifestyle, wasn't it for the inherent dangers of such an occupation. ...And the vulnerable moral aspects, naturally.

"Weapons...," Melchior sighed. "If there weren't evil in this world, there would be no need for weapons. What a sad state of affairs..."

Deciding that having an early-morning philosophical discussion of the pragmatic impossibility of a utopian world with a weapon-maker was not on her agenda for the day, Lucca addressed the more pressing issues.

"Are you guys ready? We should get going as soon as possible." She turned to Melchior. "How far is to the Heckran Cave?"

"Oh, not far," he gestured vaguely, weighting the distance mentally, "no more than an hour's walk. You should find it easily, there's a path leading straight to the cave."

"As for the cave itself, I would advise you to keep to the shadows and avoid the Mystics as much as possible. You may know magic, but some of them can still prove to be quite a problem."

Marle fitted on her new leather holster and was adjusting the straps. "We don't really have a choice but to go through the cave. We sort of have a mission to do, so we have to hurry up."

"A mission, eh?" Melchior smiled under his curving moustache. The group glanced to each other thoughtfully, unsure what to say if he asked what the 'mission' was. He seemed tolerant and understanding, but telling people that they were going to travel 400 years to the past to stop the dark mage who had almost overturned the Guardian Kingdom from destroying the world in a 1000 years could prove to be a challenge no matter whom the hearer was.

But Melchior saved them the trouble. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to ask about the details. You're clearly young adventurers, now properly armed," he gestured to their new purchases, "and young adventurers need to have secret missions. So off you go!"

The group grinned relievedly, grateful for his easy-going attitude. Without wasting any more time, they thanked Melchior for all his help and hospitability, promised to drop by some time again, and set on their way.

Left alone in his small hut, Melchior sighed warily, walking over to the window to watch the departing group. "How fickle fate is," he said to himself, shaking his head and thinking of the small blue pendant on Marle's neck, "how unpredictable."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Wow! You're getting good at it, Marle!"

"Thanks, Crono!" Marle beamed at him and stepped off the path to retrieve the arrow she had successfully sent into a tree. The trek towards the Heckran Cave was rather monotonous, so she had soon decided to practice her skills with her newly acquired crossbow. It was challenging at first to hit a target, since she had never done it before, but it soon turned out that Melchior was a great weapon-maker. The crossbow was light and handy and yet had side-holders for six extra arrows, meaning she could fire seven before having to nock another set. And pulling back the string was much easier than she expected. As far as she knew, normally it required quite an amount of physical strength, but her new crossbow had a nifty lever under its mainframe and a set of innovative gears. So in two pulls the string was retracted and a new arrow ready to be fired. With a little practice, she could be firing very rapidly.

Pulling her arrow out of the tree, she returned to her companions. It was indeed very easy to find the path and they were steadily drawing closer to the tall mountain range ahead. The weather was just as sunny and perfect as it had been on the day before. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, trees swayed gently. This, Marle decided while taking aim once more, was how she had always imagined adventuring. Hopefully, it would last.

"You know," Lucca said suddenly from where she had been walking behind her, "something's bothering me."

"Mosquitoes...?" Crono offered, swatting a few of the insects away. The pesky buzzers were the only downside to the lush green scenery of Medina.

"That too," Lucca agreed, squashing one of the perpetrators on her arm. "But mostly something else. Let's assume that Magus did exist, and was some kick-ass powerful mage, who created Lavos, although I don't even know how's that possible. Yet let's just assume it was and that his objective was to exterminate the humans, ergo destroy the world. Then why didn't he do that at once, in 600 A.D? Why Lavos remained hidden for almost 1400 years and only then caused the cataclysm?"

Marle and Crono looked back to her, considering the question.

"And I don't want to hear that Lavos had to freshen up before the party," Lucca added sternly, eying Crono who was already opening his mouth.

But Crono waved her reprimand aside. "That's not what I was going to say. I have another question. Assuming everything you just said, let's say we find Magus before he creates Lavos. Then how are we going to stop him...? By saying 'Excuse us, Mr. Evil Mage, could you please abandon your plans because it will destroy the world? We know that's the idea, but we'd rather you didn't.'...?

Marle returned to taking aim, the crossbow at her eye level. "That, and if it doesn't work, we'll fight him." She pulled the trigger and with a soft thwack sent another arrow into another tree.

Crono shook his head. The crossbow had already greatly raised Marle's feistiness level – apart from being indeed very becoming for her... – but the Princess just didn't know what she was saying. He however had fresh memories of the sickening crunch of flesh being torn apart, of the agonizing squeals of pain and the sudden silence of death. "It's not that easy, Marle. Sending arrows into trees is one thing, but imagine that your target is just as alive as you. And to make sure that Magus would never create Lavos, we'd have to kill him, not just defeat him."

Marle's hand hesitated as she reached for her arrow. What if that arrow was stained red...? "But..."

"Kill!" Lucca jumped up suddenly, her eyes widening behind her glasses. She stopped walking and her companions turned to her in astonishment. "Kill, assassinate! It's just like that Diablos told us! Like Marle said! That Magus was assassinated because he was about to create Lavos! Don't you see what it means!"

Crono frowned, unsure where her hyperactive brain had taken her this time. "That we would have to act faster than those assassins because they obviously failed...?"

Lucca waved impatiently and fixed her glasses. "No! What if WE were those assassins? What if WE have killed Magus?"

Crono glanced to Marle, somehow relieved to see she looked just as confused as he felt.

"Lucca, what are you talking about?" Marle asked finally. "How could we have killed Magus...?"

Lucca shook her head and took a deep breath. "It's simple. There's a theory saying that accidental temporal distortions – such as the Gates – can cause infinite time loops. Such a loop has neither a logical beginning nor an end, and within it, events no longer follow the logical sequence of occurrence. So in other words, we have already killed Magus in the past, even though we haven't done it yet. And now we have to go do it, even though – as you just said – we know we will be too late to prevent him from creating Lavos."

Crono let out a pained groan. She just had to do it! The day had been so nice, the weather was perfect, he bought a perfect sword, had a bath, everything was going great! And now he was beginning to have a major headache. Next to him, Marle was rubbing her temples with an equally pained frown.

Fortunately, Lucca noticed their pitiful state. "If you'd rather, you can think of it as predestination. That we are destined to kill Magus, even though it would be after he crated Lavos, but..." Suddenly, she paused and then half-shrugged. "On the other hand, it's just a theory. And besides, we still don't even know if Magus really existed. And going back to the past is the only thing we can do anyway."

Crono and Marle were eying her suspiciously, half-expecting that she was just toying with them and would launch into another headache inducing lecture any moment now. But since Lucca only stood innocently and quietly on the path, her hand up to fix her glasses, they dared to drop their guard.

"So...," Marle prompted, "we're still going to go on with the plan...?"

"Yup."

Audible sighs of relief escaped the lips of her companions. Neither would ever dream of denying Lucca's vast brainpower, but the unfortunate truth was that the said brainpower often left them confused and downright befuddled. Crono in particular knew how it felt. He had been subjected to such mind-numbing lectures for years now, yet still hadn't found any working defense mechanisms. Personally, he shared Marle's views. Of course, he could understand the necessity of knowing what exactly they were doing, but if there was only one thing they could do, then that was what they should be doing.

Shaking his head to alleviate some of the uncomfortable pressure within it, he turned back towards the mountains and resumed walking. Marle, still with a somewhat confused expression, followed in his tracks. Behind them, Lucca walked on jauntily, full of scientific excitement. If they really were following an infinite loop, then she would be the first person _ever_ to confirm the existence of the phenomenon! Naturally, it would mean that they wouldn't defeat Lavos that way, but there would probably be other means. Plus, it would mean that they wouldn't have to worry about altering their times, since their actions – the actions they hadn't undertaken yet, but which had already taken place at the same time – were to happen anyway!

And if they weren't stuck in a loop, then she would still have an opportunity to find out whether it was possible to alter the past. And that in itself was a major opportunity, one that could clarify dozens of temporal paradox related theories. Either way, she was going to solve some very heavy temporal dilemmas!

The prospect was making her skin tingle in excited expectation. And in view of such prospects, finding out whether Magus really existed or not was just an added bonus. ...Although a very personal bonus, considering Mr. Riverbed's stuck up attitude.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I don't believe it!" Marle whispered in honest disbelief, sticking her head into the vast cavern. "They're completely drunk!"

Crono peeked around the corner too, craning his neck to look above Marle's head. "More like severely hangovered, but for our purposes it's just as good!"

Lucca walked around them to have a look too. They had found Heckran Cave easily, just like Melchior told them they would. The path led straight to a gaping entrance shaded over by the forest that grew at the foot of the rocky mountains. They had entered it cautiously, mindful of the human-hating Mystics that were to dwell inside. The cave turned out to be not just one simple cave, but a complex of grottoes and caverns, linked by winding corridors, carved within the rock both naturally and artificially. Water was present almost everywhere within the premises, in multiple forms. It dripped from the cold stone walls, rivuleted on the uneven ground, pooled into surprisingly deep puddles and streamed as creeks and ponds, carving into the caverns.

Everywhere, they could see proofs of the Mystics living within the caves. Torches were placed on the walls in regular intervals and numerous wooden barrels and boxes littered the corridors. Many of the caverns bore signs of having been adapted into living quarters and were furnished with shabby wooden cots, tables, the works. But the Mystics themselves were surprisingly scarce and the few they had encountered seemed so out of it that they went down without much fight. The only worthy opponents they kept running into were bats, perhaps because those were Mystic Bats; animalistic, but magical. They proved almost impossible to hit with conventional weapons, always avoiding the sword or arrow at the very last moment. But magic they didn't see coming, so the group had fully used the encounters to practice their still very fresh skills. Lucca was already starting to have some ideas on the nature of 'magic', but brushed those thoughts aside for the time being. It had to wait; they had more important things to focus on.

The mystery of the pitiful state of the Mystics explained itself once they stumbled upon an enormous cavern, deep within the caves. It was strewn full of pretty much unconscious Mystics of various types, empty barrels, broken chairs, knocked down torches and indented tankards. The heavy smell of half-digested alcohol was hardly needed to confirm what had transpired within the cavern.

Whatever the Mystics had celebrated so vigorously, they couldn't have chosen a better time for it. Thanks to the resultant weakened state of both their consciousness and their ferocity in pursuing their human-hating hobbies, the trek through the caverns was proving to be but a breeze.

A sudden splashing sound coming from somewhere further down the uneven corridor interrupted their contemplation of the post-orgy scenery.

"Hmph!" said a gruff voice from the direction of the splashing sound. "Look at him! That's supposed to be a guard?"

The three warp-travelers-to-be glanced to each other. It would be best to avoid a confrontation; the noises of a fight could wake up the army of Mystics resting in the cavern behind them. Hastily, they looked around, searching for a place to hide.

"There!" Marle whispered in a hiss, trying to keep her voice down to a minimum. She was pointing to two barrels standing in a shadowy corner of the corridor. Without hesitation, they rushed behind them, squeezing themselves into the shadows in between the barrels and the wall.

"Oh, give him a rest," said another low voice from the end of the corridor. "Everybody was excited that the plan worked."

More splashing sounds followed, softer this time, sounding as if somebody completely wet was walking. Sitting in the middle of the group, Marle ventured a peek in between the barrels. Through the small gap she saw two creatures, obviously Mystics. One was of a kind she had never seen or heard of before; strangely misshapen with a preposterously long beak and an oblong head. The other she guessed to be a Naga-ette, although it appeared to be a male naga, since it had neither a bra nor the breasts to cover with a bra. Both were completely soaked and were leaving wet marks on the stone floor as they walked.

The long-beaked Mystic humph-ed again. "I still don't know how he managed to pull it off. He's an idiot!"

The male naga shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we can get something for ourselves out if it, he can be whatever he wants!"

Shaking off droplets of water, the two Mystics passed the group and entered the cavern full of their drunken companions. Marle looked to her own companions, mouthing 'plan...?' Neither seemed to have any more of an idea than she did. Behind them, the two newly arrived Mystics were trying to roughly rouse their overcome comrades. Soon, coarse curses and rude dismissals rumbled in the cavern and the only three humans in the area knew it was their cue to get lost. They were about to overstay their welcome.

Lucca poked her head out from behind the barrels and took a look around. Nobody seemed to be there to see them make their retreat. Slipping out from their shelter, she crept down the corridor and towards the cavern the two Mystics had come from. The splashing sound, their wetness and the mention of a guard made it quite clear that the water shaft they were looking for was right ahead. Half-crouching in the shadows, Marle and Crono followed her and all three crept along the wall and into the small cave at the end of the corridor.

Cautiously peeking inside, they spotted their destination at once. The water shaft was in the back of the cave, surrounded by wet splashes left behind by the arrival of the two Mystics. But in between them and their target waited the guard. Or rather slumbered, since judging from the empty overturned barrel next to him, he too took part in last night's celebrations. The three couldn't be more thankful for it; the guard looked somewhat intimidating indeed. Massive and bulky, he was covered in thick blue scales head to toe. His disproportionally enormous arms ended in vicious and long claws and a line of sharp long spikes run down his back. In short, he looked like the result of a water dragon humping a gorilla. If one believed in the existence of dragons, that is.

Mindful not to make any noise, they detoured the scaly monster and approached the shaft.

"Ladies first," whispered Crono with a grin, gesturing towards the smooth surface of water.

Marle secured the crossbow in the holster and grinned back. "Don't mind if I do!"

Without hesitation she took the plunge in to the water, splashing more of it onto the stone floor around. Crono and Lucca leaned over to take a peek after her, but it was too dark in the cave for them to see anything within the water. In either case, no oxygen bubbles were rising from the depths, no signs of struggle were noticeable and the surface was already calming down.

Well, Lucca thought as Crono motioned for her to follow, you can only live once. Keeping her glasses in place with one hand and waterproofing her nose with the other, she took a bomb dive into the shaft after the Princess.

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"Lucca!" the loud voice of Taban reverberated around the walls as soon as they stepped into Lucca's house. "My only child!"

Without further warning, Taban grasped his daughter and pressed her firmly against his fatherly chest, skewing the glasses on her nose. Lucca sighed, giving into his overly emotional display. Resistance was futile; it was a truth she had known all her life. Her father was the best father she could ever ask for. He supported her interests no matter what they were, always had a worthwhile advice ready when she needed advice and never tried to control her life under the guise of fatherly love.

Unfortunately, he also suffered from a classic case of an 'inventor's personality'. Easy-going and often forgetful, he approached life with the enthusiasm of a child, which often resulted in emotion-powered displays, be it of fatherly love or of an inventor's satisfaction.

This time however, he was going to pay a price for his eruption. Her clothes were still thoroughly wet and his were now sponging in the water. They had emerged from the sea only some fifteen minutes ago, and quickly found that they had been delivered to the vicinity of Lucca's house. Incidentally, that was exactly where they were headed. Although it still remained to be seen how much time had passed since they had left Guardia, they had left it during a prison break out. Marching straight into Truce was the last thing they should do, especially considering how fanatical the Chancellor had been about chopping Crono's head off.

Thus, Crono's house was off limits, at least during daytime, and Marle's house... was the heart of the problems, so to speak. Lucca's house was a safe haven in comparison, and they could only hope that no royal guards were spying on it.

Taban finally let go off his ruffled daughter, but only to clasp her firmly immediately again. "You were gone two full days! I was so worried you too would be executed! My precious daughter!"

Well, at least they knew what day it was now, Lucca thought as she was being once more pressed against the fatherly bosom. Interestingly, it was also exactly two days for them since they had jumped into the Gate in Guardia Forest. So once more, time had been flowing with the same speed on both sides of a Gate, whether they were there or not.

But her father was already regaining his inquisitive side. "What happened? You obviously managed to save Crono..." he gestured to his daughter's companions, who were standing near the door. "And the girl from the Fair!"

Leaning his head down to his daughter's ear, he brought his voice to a whisper. "So is she really Princess Nadia...?"

Finally free of the emotional storm, Lucca fixed her askew glasses and straightened her wet clothes. "Yes, but she prefers to be called Marle. Right, Marle?"

"Yup!" Marle beamed at Taban, conquering him immediately. "Nice to meet you, Mr. ... eh..." Embarrassed, she realized she didn't know Lucca's surname, but Taban waved her concern aside.

"It's Mr. Ashtear, but call me Taban, Your Highness. Everybody does."

"Just Marle," she replied, smiling again and strengthening their rapport.

Taban turned to his daughter once more. "So what happened? Where have you been? Are you hungry? ...And why are you all wet?"

Heading towards the table, Lucca took off some of her wet garments, helmet and smelly boots included. Plopping down on the chair, she launched into a detailed story of the events of the last two days. Her father already knew about the Gates and time-traveling, but their story now reached into even more incredulous zones. Fortunately, since he was just as scientifically inclined as she was, he could accept it in knowledge, not just faith, so it shouldn't take too long for him to grasp their current situation.

While Lucca was summarizing their adventures so far, Marle inspected the Ashtear household. On their way, Crono warned her that Lucca's house was not exactly an average house and that she should prepare herself. She didn't need to, having no idea what an 'average' house looked like. All her life she had lived in a medieval castle full of servants and guards, where everyone addressed her as either 'Her Highness' or 'Princess'. If Lucca's house was abnormal, then hers was not far behind, if not ahead, and thus she had no norms to judge against.

Yet even without knowing the norms, she could see that Lucca's house was not what an average person would expect from a house. For one thing, it was built more in the style of an inn, with half of the house being a two-storey high common room, while the other half was divided into separate levels, but with a gallery up on the second storey. Yet the unusual architecture was among the less noticeable things about the house. The most noticeable factor was the overwhelming presence of books. They were everywhere; on shelves piled up against the walls, on the table they were sitting at, on the strange counter that cut into the room, on the comfortable looking armchairs near the window, on the small table next to the armchairs and, most prominently, on the floor. The books were just strewn around, some open, some closed; as if they were in constant use and putting them away would be but a waste of time.

It wasn't just books, however. Also blueprints, diagrammed on vast sheets of paper; they were pinned up on the walls, piled up in baskets, streaming down the table and the counter. And if anyone needed further proof that this house housed inventors, the odd machines plunked here and there practically trumpeted it to the world. Some large, some small; some looked half-finished, others clearly unfinished, wires pouring out of them like futuristic intestines. Around each laid a pool of tools and parts; hammers, screwdrivers of all sizes and shapes, pincers, soldering tools, inducers, wires, plates and objects so beyond her recognition that Marle didn't even try to name them.

Crono told her that there was a large room in the back of the house, next to kitchen, that Lucca and Taban used for their scientific rituals, but that said rituals always spilled out into the rest of the house. She could see clearly what he meant, although she'd sooner say 'flooded out' rather than 'spilled'. And yet, despite all the machinery, despite the mess and the dust that was piling up here and there, the house held some undeniable warmth and ease. It wasn't just that it was made of warm wood; it was something within the overall atmosphere. As if it heralded to the world that its occupants were people who treasured their freedom and who cherished inner values above appearances and simple labels.

Yes, Marle decided firmly, she liked it here. Personally, she would clean up a bit, at least enough to clear the floor, but the general idea was very much to her liking.

"So that's the story...," Taban murmured, stroking his messy beard. Lucca just completed the account of their journey to the future and of what they were to do now.

"Yes, and now we need to gather information on the Mystic War and Magus, just in case we're not stuck in a loop. But since, as you say, we're still on the wanted list, _you_ need to go to the library for us."

Taban nodded pensively, scratching his beard once more. "I see what you mean. Any specific fields of interest?"

Lucca frowned in consideration. "All the happenings since the abduction of Queen Leene up to the end of the war. And also, everything you can find on Magus and the supposed assassination. Oh, and since I think that Mr. Oakleaf might know more than the schoolbooks say, ask him if there were any rumors of Magus being human." She was not a particular expert on history, but she had read a few books more on the Mystic War than it had been required for school, yet none had ever mentioned the story of Magus being assassinated because of Lavos. It seemed quite likely that certain facts could've been purposefully concealed from the official story of Guardia. Hopefully, Mr. Oakleaf would be willing to share those.

Taban wrote down her instructions and stood up. "Right on it! It might take some time, so if you kids are hungry, feel free to forage for food in the kitchen. Whatever you find, is yours." Winking at them conspiratively, he marched out of the house and headed for the Royal Library.

Hearing that Taban would not be cooking, Crono suppressed a relieved sigh. Both Taban and Lucca were in the habit of reading while cooking, which often resulted in dishes that could easily be classified as biohazard. Mistaking sugar for salt was an everyday occurrence, nobody even noticed it anymore. Only mistaking machine grease for soy sauce could actually faze the two inventors. And even that wasn't certain since they usually read also while eating and thus often remained oblivious to what foul concoction they were consuming.

"Right," Lucca stood up from the chair, picking up her previously discarded possessions. "Then let's dry up first and then get to work. I need to modify the Gate Key and then go pick up Robo. There's no need for him to pointlessly wait for us at the 'End of Time' when he could be doing the same here. Plus – and I feel stupid I haven't thought about it before – that only three people can go through a Gate at the same time, doesn't mean we can't travel in a larger group."

Her boots dangling from her hand, she headed towards the stairs leading to the upper floor and motioned to the other two to follow.

"How so...?" Marle asked cautiously, following and trying to avoid stepping on any of the objects on the floor.

"It's simple. Three people go through a Gate, then one comes back and brings the remaining one."

Her companions, who had been half-expecting to hear some mind-boggling theory, blinked in surprise.

"That really is simple...," Marle agreed slowly.

Lucca turned back to them with a proud smile. "Sometimes the simplest things take a genius to see!'

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"I agree, Madam Lucca," Robo said as they were walking through the woods around Leene Square, "Endeavoring to track down the one called Magus is the most reasonable course of action at the current moment."

Lucca waved at him, telling him again not to use titles. "Just Lucca, Robo."

"I apologize," he replied with a polite bow, once more reminding her that politeness and servility towards humans was probably one of the imperatives of his programming.

Following the woods, they soon left the vicinity of Leene's Square and headed back to her house, careful not to get too close to either Truce or the main road to Guardia Castle. It was almost evening already and the thickening dusk shielded them from any prying eyes, but one could never be too careful, especially when being a wanted criminal. Yet reaching Leene's Square, or rather the northern part of it where the Gate was located, was actually quite easy. The area wasn't fenced or guarded, and nearly blended into the woods, meaning that sneaking in there from the back was hardly a problem.

She had done so effortlessly some half an hour prior, carrying a modified Gate Key. Her judgment had been right; all that was needed to reach the End of Time was to overload the Gate, be it with the energy of animate entities or with an artificial signal. The new improved Gate Key now contained the option to emit and sustain an amplified signal, ergo, to go to the End of Time. Or not, which was always a bonus.

The weird old man was still asleep under the lamppost when she reached the odd floating street corner. Despite having many questions related to the nature of the End of Time and to the presence of the old man within it, she didn't wake him. There was always time to ask those questions later, whereas at the moment they had much greater worries.

So once she collected Robo, who had been in the 'sleep' mode, they returned straight to Leene's Square and headed back to the small island she lived on. On the way, she conveyed to Robo the same summary of their adventures she had presented her father with earlier on. To her pleasure, Robo agreed not only that tracking down Magus was the most reasonable course of action at the moment, but also that in view of the data they possessed currently, the existence of Magus could be put into question.

Yet as the neared the island and stepped onto the old wooden bridge that linked it with the mainland, Robo added something she didn't expect.

"It would be illogical for me to accompany you on the journey. My presence could be detrimental to the objective of locating Magus."

Lucca turned to him questioningly, pushing her glasses up. "How so?"

"According to my database, the people of 600 A.D. were a pre-industrial society. They could react negatively to my presence, thus obstructing the task of collecting information."

Walking down the wooded path to her house, Lucca considered his analysis. Unfortunately, he was right. The people of the Middle Ages would probably react very negatively to Robo, perhaps even accusing him of being a Mystic.

"I will remain here and repair myself, if that is acceptable."

Lucca nodded. "Of course. I'll show you to the workshop, you should find some parts there."

Inside the house, they found that Crono and Marle were already back and were sitting in the armchairs under the window. Using the cover of the dusk, Crono had ventured to his house to reassure his mother that he had not been executed. He took Marle with him as a means to placating his mom and Marle gladly conceded of the idea, wanting to see how Crono lived.

"So? How's your mom?" Lucca approached the two and sat down on the chair nearby. Robo bowed politely and received a friendly 'hello!' from Marle.

"She was all worried, of course. She really didn't know what to think about the whole thing."

"How did she take the news that you're going to be missing for a little longer while traveling to the past?"

Crono smiled sheepishly while Marle giggled slightly, covering her mouth. "Errr..."

Lucca cocked an eyebrow. "Let me guess, she was so happy you brought a girl home that you didn't even need to tell her about time-traveling." Crono's mother didn't make it much of a secret that she wanted her boy to find himself a nice girl and produce some grandchildren. "And when you told her you're going to be away for some more time, she only said 'be careful, dear' and invited Marle to come over again, correct?"

Crono rubbed the back of his head and his sheepish expression intensified. "Something like that..."

Next to him, Marle blushed slightly. Lucca pushed her glasses up. Interesting. Crono's mom most likely said something to the spirit of grandchildren and it was making the two act quite embarrassed. Usually, Lucca was quite oblivious to the romantic going-ons of people, having very little interest in the matter herself, but she'd have to be blind not to smell the roses, so to speak. Still, it was none of her business. Crono was both sensible and old enough to know the dangers of getting involved with the Princess. If he still wanted to, despite the practical impossibility of the relationship, it was his private matter.

Getting up, she motioned for Robo to follow and led him to the workshop in the back of the house. Robo's AI centers seemed to be working fine, meaning that her impromptu repairing session in Proto Dome was holding up fine, but his casing still needed repair. It was extensively indented and heavily rusted. Luckily, she had some spare tempered metal plates, so he should manage.

She showed him around and gave him her permission to use anything he needed to repair himself. Returning to the others, she entered the main room just as her father entered the front door.

"Tada!" Taban was holding a thick wad of scribbled sheets of paper and waved them cheerfully. "I am now an expert on the Mystic War!"

Lucca crossed the room and parked herself once more on the chair. "Found anything interesting?"

"Actually," Taban replied, moving to sit down himself, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

The three young ones looked to each other, all pretty much indifferent to the order of news. "The bad news," Marle said finally, "it will make the good news seem better."

Taban nodded and cleared his throat a bit. "The bad news is that the war ends around a month after the abduction of Queen Leene. So you're not going to have much time to find Magus."

Lucca frowned pensively. "We might be already too late... A month is a very short time, all things considered."

"...It's actually less than a month," Taban confessed apologetically. "Around a month after Queen Leene's kidnapping the rumors of Magus' disappearance – or assassination, take your pick – began appearing. So whatever happened to him, it must've happened before then."

Lucca got up and began pacing the room, her mind wrapping around the problem. "But if the supposed Magus was killed because of the rumors that he was about to create Lavos, he must've done it not long before his death. The assassins didn't make it in time, naturally, but it had to be sometime around then. We might still have a chance. Of course, that's assuming Magus existed and created Lavos. And that we're not stuck in a loop–"

"No!" Marle waved frantically. "No lectures about loops! We stick to the plan. We go there, we hurry, we find Magus and stop him from creating Lavos! In short, we take the chance." Taking a deep breath, she turned to Taban. "And what's the good news?"

Taban beamed at them. "The good news is my daughter was right!"

A surprised silence fell upon the room. Lucca pushed up her glasses. This was news because...? "Meaning?"

"Meaning that Oakleaf fellow from the library does know much more than the books convey. And, he was eager to share his knowledge. There _were_ rumors of Magus being human and that was why the majority of historians omitted most accounts of his appearance."

"Let me guess," Lucca cut in, "because it's not very uplifting when one of your species decides to exterminate it and it's easier to keep the blame to the Mystics?"

Taban beamed again. "Exactly!"

Marle leaned forward in her armchair. "So Magus _was_ human...?"

"Nobody knows; that's the fun part. See, there are some personal accounts of Magus that have lasted to this day, but even those are too vague to settle the matter. Plus, many of those are fake. After the war, when it became apparent that Magus disappeared without a trace, many wannabe heroes claimed that they were the ones to have taken him out. There was one in almost every village, apparently. They confabulated basing on the widespread rumors of how Magus looked like, which weren't very specific to begin with."

Pausing, Taban shuffled through the papers full of his half-intelligible scribbles. "Ah, there we are! The characteristics agreed upon are: that – obviously – he was built like a human, was tall, had red eyes that could shine in the dark – reflect the light, if you ask me – and had unnaturally pale skin, usually described in terms of 'as if he was already dead'. Oh! And that he fought using a scythe – apparently he had a sense of style... or humor – and that his magic was so powerful that most people shat their pants when he was rumored to be in the area."

Three pairs of incredulous eyes looked to him, surprised by his 'expressive' choice of words. Taban waved their censure aside. "Don't look at me like that; it's a direct quote from what Oakleaf said. He likes naming things for what they are, I think."

"But...," Marle blinked slowly, "how could he be a human looking like that?"

"That's what I said!" Taban beamed once more, the papers rustling in his hands. "But Oakleaf told me that many of the mages recorded in history were described as 'human but inhuman'. For example," he shuffled his notes again, "Kaluve, a dark mage from circa 300 A.D. was also rumored to be unnaturally pale; was said to have eyes so light-colored that they were almost white; had pointy ears like a Mystic and a hooked nose. ...The last thing is of course common among humans too, but you can see what I mean. It was hard to say what they were, and no historian ever had a chance to interview a mage."

Lucca frowned and resumed her pace through the room, skillfully avoiding stepping on any of the objects on the floor. Lifetime of experience was to be thanked for the skill. "'Human but inhuman'... Isn't it possible that they were _literally_ both human and inhuman?"

Marle stared at her, astonished, as the full implications of what she said dawned on her. "You don't mean..."

"Actually," Taban cut in, "it's a viable possibility. If such mages were born out of a Mystic-human union – be it voluntary or forced – then that would explain their odd appearance and inhuman powers. At least partially, since mages were usually said to have powers surpassing those of most Mystics."

Marle looked from him to Lucca and back. Children between Mystics and humans...? Somehow, it had never occurred to her that there could be such unions. True, not all Mystics were animalistic, and not all humans were... picky, but...

Lucca paused in her tracks, pushing her glasses up pensively. She was much more willing to believe Magus had really existed, assuming he was indeed half-human half-Mystic. The ugly aspects of life, the ones swept under the rug, were usually the truest. But it still left many doubts concerning his powers, the creation of Lavos and the timing of the events.

"Incidentally," Taban broke the silence, "Kaluve, the hook-nosed mage, used to haunt the Forest Plains, north of today's Porre. It took quite an army to take him down. And in 585 A.D. the village of Norin, located on the same spot, was destroyed by Magus with the total of 31 people killed and 47 wounded. It's the first recorded mention of Magus and the next one wasn't until two years later, when he leveled another village, Veste, this time killing almost the entire population."

Crono, who had been leaving the conversation to the other three, shifted in his chair. "585 A.D.? But that's 15 years before the war..."

"Please, Crono, at least have the decency to pretend you know something about the war," Lucca glanced to him in mock scold. "The Mystic War lasted years, what was it...? 8 years?"

"Yes," Taban agreed, "but that's dating only since the official royal decree announcing war on Magus and the Mystics. The conflicts had been escalating for years before then, but it was difficult to declare war on those who neither had a separate country nor were considered citizens of Guardia."

Lucca frowned once more. It seemed odd that the war lasted for so long. If Magus really had the powers to create Lavos – although she still had no idea how was that even possible – then totaling Guardia's army should've been a breeze to him. And yet the war lasted eight years, with many more unofficial years of conflicts. Was he gaining those supposed powers in the meantime? Or maybe he didn't create Lavos at all? But then, how did Lavos come to be and why did the Mystics claim that it was Magus who created him?

Sighing, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was no way they could solve the puzzle at the moment. Only going back to the past could answer all those questions, starting from the existence of Magus and ending on the origin of Lavos.

"All right, now tell us where we could possibly find Magus and then let's go over the events of the last month of the war."

They had spent the rest of the evening going through Taban's notes. Or rather, she did, since once the subject became more mundane, both Marle and Crono's interest waned, until they sauntered off to invest their time in practicing their magic skills. It didn't matter much to Lucca. She would remember the data and was going to take the notes with her anyway.

Once the night fell heavily upon the forested island, they went dutifully to sleep, to get as much rest as possible before springing into action – and the past – on the morrow.

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Since this chapter is a filler, I will graciously restrain from casting any nefarious spells.

... But I wouldn't mind hearing opinions on the slower pace and the handling of scenes!


	7. Chapter 07

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews:** Whoa, no spell and still I got reviews! Needless to say I'm extremely pleased and grateful towards all who reviewed!

**Shaded Mazoku:** Thank you! And I agree, CT did not live up to its potential as far as the historical aspects and quirks are concerned. But since it lived up to everything else, I'm willing to pardon it (while making up for it of course, haha) ;) And thanks again!

**GoldenSunGeek:** Thank you and I'm ordering the clone right now! ;)

**Indigo Tantarian:** Thank you and I agree, it is a very strange idea and one that hadn't been fully explored in CT. Thankfully since I can do it now ;)

**SayianLegend1:** Thank you! I'm glad to hear the non-action was liked! And yes, Lucca is going to bite on more than she can chew, or rationalize, for that matter ;) The review was not short at all and greatly appreciated! Thanks again:)

**Quizer:** Hahaha, thank you for so many reviews! –-hands Quizer the clone–- Confidentially, I have a deal with Norstein Bekkler ;)

**chaos­Bardock:** Thank you! I'm not too sure about an AU, but I am planning a follow-up, with lots of new things ;)

**zipis1:** "evil mages tend to be, well, evil and may not take kindly to being told to stop their evil ways", hahaha! Well said! It's the one thing that always strikes me in RPGs – nobody is worried about how exactly they're going to save the world, they just go with the flow, lol. And thank you very much for reviewing!

**ShadowCatYumi08: **Hahaha, glad to hear the story make you laugh, in any way! And yes, writing everything down action per action would make it not only long but also rather boring. Plus, altering the details means that the readers might be more interested in reading a story they already know. And once more yes, it really was odd that one particular Gate didn't take them to the End of Time and even more so, that nobody saw anything strange about it... :P Thank you for reviewing!

**Note:** Oh, forget the note here, I'll just make one at the bottom ;)

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_Chapter 07 – The Undead Face of War_

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The sleepy peacefulness of Truce Canyon 600 A.D. was momentarily disturbed when a blue whirl appeared suddenly on a small clearing and three people popped out of it, one still unsure what his name was. Steadying her feet on the dump grass, Lucca righted the strap of the bag on her shoulder. It contained medicinal items, some food, a change of clothes, Taban's notes and a just-in-case book on space-time phenomena she had been reading recently. In short, the bare essentials for an adventure that would last days, if not weeks.

Next to her, Marle dusted off her white loose trousers. Lucca offered to lend the Princess some clothes, but Marle preferred to keep her white attire, only giving it a hasty clean up. The airy white material wasn't exactly practical, but Lucca doubted practically was the main factor for Marle, especially with Crono nearby... "So where are we heading first? Truce?"

Lucca shook her head. "No, there's no point in going to the town. We have to get to South Zenan since Magus supposedly had an 'evil lair' on an island near the east coast. There's no guarantee we'll find him there, but that's the best lead we have."

"So to the Zenan Bridge then?" Crono half-yawned. If he wasn't so sleepy, he'd probably be excited about the prospect of going to South Zenan, even in medieval times.

Lucca nodded in agreement. As they followed the forest towards the rocky ledges and beyond, she considered the choice of destination. Zenan Bridge linked the two halves of the Zenan continent, stretching across the Zenan Strait in its most narrow part. It was the only direct route to South Zenan and thus they had to go through there, but... She didn't have to look into the notes to remember that at the moment Zenan Bridge was in the heat of the war. The Mystics were on Guardia's doorstep, trying to force their way in. And Guardia's forces were in a real fix. They could just destroy the bridge, or leave it unrepaired when it had been damaged before, but that would mean condemning the people of South Zenan to the rule of the Mystics. And the Mystics would sooner or later find a way to cross the strait anyway, thus rendering the sacrifice void.

The stalemate was going to last till the end of war, that is till the rumors of Magus' disappearance spread and the Mystics retreated. But they needed to get past the bridge now, not in a month, even if it meant forcing their way through.

After half an hour of walking through the early morning groves around Truce, they reached the main road leading to the bridge. It was going to take them at least two days to get there, unless they could find some faster means to travel. And just as they started their trek on the sandy road, such potential faster means appeared behind them. Four horse-pulled farm carts were speeding their way from the direction of the castle.

Wasting no time, Lucca jumped out onto the middle of the road and started waving her arms.

"Lucca...?" Marle asked tentatively.

"Come on! Maybe they'll give us a lift!" Marle and Crono grasped what she was trying to do and joined the waving on the middle of the road.

The carts drew closer and stopped; the first one in line right in front of them. On the driver's bench sat a civilian citizen of around 50 or so years of age, holding the reigns. Next to him sat a soldier, one they recognized easily, thanks to the still noticeable pimple on his nose.

"Oy!" shouted the soldier who used to stand guard in the castle, "Why the hell are you stopping us? We've gotta deliver the provisions to the Zenan Bridge! Move ya arses..." pausing, he took a better look at the perpetrators. In particular, at the spiky crown of red hair on Crono's head and the striking similarity to the Queen on Marle's face. "Oh, it's _you_," he grumbled, deflating, "the kids who got lucky and defeated Yakra. Whaddaya want?"

"Could you take us with you to the Zenan Bridge?" Marle asked, smiling invitingly.

The soldier eyed them suspiciously. "And why do you wanna go there? That's no place for kids! Or do you wanna play war and fight Magus' troops, eh?"

Inwardly, Lucca rolled her eyes. Fine words from somebody who was most likely younger than them. "Yeah, we wanna go fight Magus' troops and if you take us there we'll show ya how it's done!"

"Hmph!" the soldier crossed his arms offendedly, "snotty brats!"

Marle and Crono glanced to Lucca quickly, surprised by her sudden desire for combat. Usually, she opted for using brains rather than brawn... Ooohhh, Crono chimed mentally as he realized that his friend was doing that this time too. Putting on his cheekiest expression, he smirked at the soldier. "What? Scared we'll get lucky again and best ya?"

The soldier's lips thinned in annoyance. "The nerve... Fine! We'll take ya to the bridge and I'm gonna laugh my ass off when you'll be running off crying for your mommy!"

The three companions grinned to each other and quickly hopped onto the wagon. It was full of crates, linen bags and barrels, but since the cart was open in the back, there was enough space for them to sit on the edge, dangling their legs above the ground. The driver snapped the reigns and the wagon jerked forward, quickly gaining speed.

Crono, sitting in the middle, leaned his head towards Lucca. "Are we really going to fight? I thought we were supposed to try to avoid changing too much."

"We have to get through the Zenan Bridge," Lucca whispered back. "And besides, Guardia will manage anyway, narrowly, but will. So at most we would change a few details, but that shouldn't be too catastrophic."

The guard, still seated next to the driver, turned back to them, his arms still crossed. "Don't kid yourselves though! You wimps don't stand a chance! Even the King has been wounded and he's one of Guardia's finest warriors! Only the Hero can save us now!"

A suspicious snort came from the elderly driver and the soldier's head snapped back to him in indignation. "He will! He has the Hero Medal so he's the chosen one! You'll see!" The driver only murmured something unintelligible yet grouchy in response.

The cart stumbled on a bump of the road and they were propelled upwards, among the clatter of the crates. Marle grasped the side of the cart and steadied herself as she turned to the soldier questioningly. "The Hero? You mean as in the legend that when Guardia is in danger the Hero will appear and conquer its enemies?"

They all knew the story, it was one of the national legends of Guardia and the Hero Medal was now kept in the Royal Treasury. Supposedly, it dated back to the first King of Guardia, the mythical Sharr, upon whom the medal had been bestowed by the Spirit of the Forest, once he had united North Zenan and established the Kingdom. It was said to have magical powers and would find a Hero to protect the lands when situation was dire. In short, it was a heavily mythical and dubious story in which many people still believed regardless.

"It's not just a legend!" the pubescent soldier chastised them crossly. "The Hero has the Hero Medal even though it's been lost for years! He came to see the King just yesterday and now he's off to the south to search for the legendary sword that will bring the fiend Magus down! Mark my words!"

He looked strangely elated by the idea and the three companions weren't exactly sure how they were supposed to react to such blind optimism.

"Yay...?" Crono ventured finally. The soldier eyed them up and down in obvious indignation, huffed resentfully and turned back to the road ahead, leaving them to their own company. Lucca reached into her bag that was resting on the cart next to her. Pulling out the notes, she thumbed through them quickly, searching for any mentions of the Hero.

"Hmmm..." Casting a cautious glance to the soldier and the driver, she leaned towards Marle and Crono to inform them whisperingly of what she read. "The Hero supposedly appeared not long before the end of the war and caused quite a euphoria among many people. Some claimed that he was the one to have defeated Magus, but it's highly doubtful, since on the other hand it was noted in the official Royal Chronicles that the Hero had handed over the Hero Medal after the war and admitted that he had just found it accidentally."

The cart jumped up again and all three hastily grabbed onto its edges. Lucca's hand clutched at the loose pages that were trying to fly away while she simultaneously struggled to keep the glasses on her nose. Not an easy feat.

Holding on to the side of the cart, Marle leaned to other two. "But didn't he say the Hero was going to look for some legendary sword? The diablos in Medina said the humans sent assassins armed with 'that damned magic sword'. So maybe the Hero was the assassin after all!"

"A magic sword, though?" Crono countered, joining the conversation. "And a legendary one at that? Have either of you ever heard of it? Because I haven't."

Lucca snorted amusedly. "If you don't know about some sword, then we sure don't either. You're the sword-maniac!"

Marle giggled quietly in agreement, yet had the decency to hide the smile behind her hand when Crono cast her a hurt look. So what that he liked swords? It was a very good hobby, nothing like mindlessly chasing pretty girls, as many of his school buddies did. Hmph!

Lucca pushed her glasses up and bagged the notes before another jump of the cart could wrestle them out of her hand. "In either case," she said turning back to her companions, "if the Hero is after Magus too, we'll probably run into him sooner or later. Maybe even at the Zenan Bridge, since if he's off to the south, he'll have to cross it somehow too."

Marle and Crono nodded, agreeing with her opinion. Soon, all three drifted off into their own activities, filling out the boredom of the journey. Lucca pulled out her book and wallowed in the pool of scientific pleasure. She held on firmly to the side of the cart next to her, grumbling occasionally when a sudden jump would nearly slam the thick tome into her face. Marle and Crono indulged in a light conversation on each other's favorite this and that, enjoying themselves greatly and yet remaining mostly oblivious that they were traversing the path millions before them had stepped upon during the age-old mating ritual.

When the morning became the evening, they finally reached their destination. The Guardia army was camped out around the North Zenan end of the bridge. Tents, larger and smaller, were arching up against the darkening sky; the soldiers clustered around small fires, their faces tired and dreary. Not only the siege had already dragged for weeks now, but their chances were slim to begin with. Yet as the carts rolled into the camp, they seemed to shed off some of the weariness, hastening to unload the provisions among the cheerful promise of a warm meal.

The party jumped off the cart as soon as it stopped, and waving a quick 'thanks' to the pimple-nosed soldier and the jaded driver, set off to search for the commander of the forces. He turned out to be a familiar figure too. Still clad in his lavish golden armor, although it had lost some of its luster due to the multiple indentations and blood stains, the Knight Captain was approaching the wagons just as they were leaving to search for him.

"Sir Crono!" he called out in surprise, noticing the group. "I was told you disappeared after rescuing Queen Leene! Have you returned to assist us?"

That's right, Crono realized, as far as they people of 600 A.D. they were a mysterious group who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared to nowhere after aiding Guardia in times of need. Lucca began whispering behind him, quickly offering him a surprising answer. Clearing his throat discretely, he accepted the role of 'Sir Crono'. "Yes, we have indeed. We have undertaken the mission of aiding the Hero on his quest."

The Knight Captain regarded them wearily for a moment. "The Hero...? He has crossed the bridge last night. The escapade cost many of my men their lives and I will not sacrifice any more soldiers to escort you too."

"But we don't need an escort," Marle assured him hastily, "we'll make it on our own."

"I see..." The Knight Captain replied pensively, observing them once more. "In that case you have my permission to try to break through whenever you are ready. But before at least equip yourselves properly." He turned to the soldier that was accompanying him. "Escort them to the armory and see that they are fit with what best we still have."

The soldier nodded respectfully and they followed him towards one of the tents at the back of the camp. They still lacked a clear plan on how to make it through the bridge, or rather through the Mystic army on the other end of it, but proper armor would indeed be of great help in either case. The soldier let them into the shivering light of the tent and proved very helpful with the task of choosing proper armor. Neither wanted to go for the fully plated pieces, deeming them too heavy and restraining, but the soldier, a middle-aged man clearly inured to the hardships of war, easily found them two light chain hauberks and a small cuirboulli-leather chest protector for Marle.

Adjusting the protector and managing the straps of the crossbow holster, Marle addressed the soldier casually. "Could you tell us if by any chance Magus himself is among the Mystics besieging the bridge?" Their job would be much easier if he was.

The soldier seemed taken aback by the idea. "If he was here, we would've been all long dead by now."

Lucca frowned questioningly. "Have you ever actually _seen_ Magus...?"

The soldier didn't reply at first, looking at them wearily. "You told the Captain you were to aid the Hero," he said finally, his voice tired and dull, "but you just don't know what you're up against, do you?" They had nothing to say to that. He turned his eyes away from them, the flickering light of the cresset etching shadows onto his face. "Yes, I've seen Magus. I'm one of the few who have seen him and lived."

The group glanced to each other, all curious to hear a personal account of the mage they were after.

"It was three years ago," the soldier began, his eyes still focused on the ground, "My squad was on a mission in South Zenan. One night, the Mystics attacked us, they often attack at night. They hurdled out of the forest and we thought it was just some minor skirmish, like usual. But then we saw him, looking down on us from a hillock at the edge of the clearing."

The group kept quiet as he paused, his eyes perturbed by the memories. "It wasn't a battle, it was... a slaughter, utter mayhem. He rained lighting bolts on us, melting armors and swords; scorched the grass and the trees with hell hot fire; brought forth explosions that sent dismembered bodies into the air. But the worst were his eyes, I'll never forget them. He dove at us, so fast that he almost disappeared in the night, then in one clean move swept his scythe and beheaded the man in front of me, a soldier I've known for years, spraying blood in my face. And when the head rolled away like a child's ball... for one moment I looked straight into his eyes."

The soldier turned to them abruptly, his voice hardening and his jaw clenching. "Some say he looks like a human, but that's all bull! There's _nothing_ human about him. He's a monster, a soulless beast! He was butchering us and his eyes were _laughing_, sneering!" He shook his head, looking at them in skeptical harshness. "Only three out of the fifty of us survived that night. You want to kill him? That's great, I say. But don't delude yourselves that you'll ever even get close to him. You don't even know how to put on armor!"

Crono shifted uncomfortably under the soldier's eyes. He was well aware that they weren't exactly experienced soldiers, or any kind of soldiers for that matter. They had fought a few battles already, but... not against skilled warriors. And judging from the soldier's words, Magus had more than just his magic to back him up. But... they did have an advantage, didn't they? They knew the future, what would happen, and unlike all the soldiers they could use magic. He shifted again, the rings of his hauberk grating against one another. Surely, that counted for something.

Next to him, Lucca frowned again. The man's story actually sounded believable. It was emotionally charged, yes, but plausible. Calling forth lighting and fire – it was still unexplained, but possible. But then, if Magus was really so effective in killing, why wasn't he here now? The Mystics were but a step away from conquering Guardia; if they had taken the bridge, the kingdom would have fallen. It didn't, as they knew well, but it _could've_.

As if answering to her thoughts, a sound of a horn tore through the camp, clear and sharp even behind the thick canvas of the tent. The soldier stepped outside, turning back to them for a moment. "The Mystics are on the push again. If you really want to get to the other side, now's your chance."

He walked off hastily and the group looked to each other again.

"Are we going to do it then?" Crono asked, his voice slightly uneven.

Lucca put the strap of her bag over her head, securing it across her chest. "We don't have a choice. Let's just try to sneak past and avoid getting killed in the process."

Crono nodded and the three of them stepped out of the tent. Outside, the shouts of the soldiers getting ready for battle clamored through the camp. The troops were all running towards the bridge, hastily securing their armor and putting on helmets. Some grabbed torches, some accidentally trampled over the small fires. Only in the back of the camp calmness still held. The four drivers were stoically hoisting the wounded and the dead onto the now empty carts.

Their hands clasped around their weapons, the three amateur soldiers ran after the hurrying troops towards the bridge. Soon, they passed by the Knight Captain who stood in the middle of the seeming chaos, shouting orders. A frantic looking soldier had just run up to him from the direction of the bridge, his breath heavy.

"Sir!" he cried, "It's the undead! There's too many of them, we have to burn the bridge!"

The Knight Captain spun towards him tersely. "Stop sniveling!" he snapped, "You're shaming the Knights of the Square Table!"

"Men!" he hollered, turning to the scurrying troops. "We're facing the undead! Get all the torches you can and attack them with fire! But don't burn the bridge! We have to hold it!"

Undead? questioned Lucca as they were running past the two. But as they neared the bridge and paused, stumped by the sight before them, she got her answer.

Zenan Bridge was a monumental construction, a true wonder of Guardia. Over forty feet in width and two hundred feet in length, it united the high rocky shores of Zenan, stretching firmly above the fifty-foot deep strait and the thundering sea below. And now, under the cold light of the moon, that spectacular structure was swarming with skeletons. Actual, factual, bony skeletons of all sizes and shapes, charging across the bridge. Their fleshless limbs rattled hollowly as they ran and their empty eye sockets shone with an unearthly glow of red. Some were unarmed, but most carried long spears, white as if they too were made of bones.

From the other side of the bridge charged the soldiers of Guardia. Their boots thudded heavily against the wooden bridge and the light of the torches they held danced in the darkness. Within but a blink of an eye, the two waves clashed into a howling mass, sending embers and bones into the air.

Lucca slowly pushed her glasses up, watching the battle from where they had stopped on the sidelines. Her eyes followed the skeletal warriors as they surged against the Guardian troops. How was it possible...? How did they move...? Was it by their own volition or was somebody's will controlling them...?

Crono turned back to her, his eyes serious. "The Knight Captain mentioned fire, so maybe they're weak against magic, especially yours. Feeling up to it?"

Lucca slowly blinked herself out of the stupor. "Yea, I think so... I even took the flamethrower with me."

"Then let's go." Gripping his red katana firmly, Crono rushed down to the battle on the bridge. Lucca followed quickly, her mind still swarming with questions. Behind them, Marle squeezed her hands tightly around the crossbow, her heart pounding. This, she thought hurrying after her companions, this was nothing like heroic stories; she was not feeling heroic in the slightest!

The forces on the bridge were now intermingled, fused together into a rolling mass of flesh, bones and fire. Ghastly howls of the undead echoed outcries of pain and agony; sparks flew when the Guardians attacked with torches, blood spluttered when the undead drove their spears into flesh.

Her hand on the trigger, Marle entered the mass after her companions, her eyes darting around restlessly. Almost instantly, somebody slammed into her from aside. She staggered, turning towards the attacker with her crossbow raised, blood rushing through her. The soldier slid down to the ground and the undead behind him raised his spear to impale her. Frantically, she pulled the trigger, but the arrow failed miserably. It only chipped off a fleck of bone from his skull. His macabre eyes shone red and the spear loomed closer. She threw herself to the side, avoiding it narrowly. Magic, she reminded herself hastily, stretching her free hand towards the attacker. Her thoughts swirled around ice, whole icebergs of ice, ice-cream, ice pops, ice!

Energy tingled through her body and a blast of icy stream shot forth from her palm. The skeleton stumbled back, dropping the spear. He was covered by a thick layer of frost, but he wasn't dead yet. ...Deader. Hastily, Marle raised her crossbow again and sent another arrow into his skull. This time, it burst into a mist of bone chips and frost. But the headless corpus was still moving, snatching at the air with his pallid fingers. Focusing on eating ice-cream on a glacier, Marle sent another wave of ice his way. His ghoulish spear was still lying at their feet and she grabbed it quickly. Swinging it with all her strength, she tore across his empty ribcage, shattering it. Once she brought the spear down onto his still stumbling hips and legs, the undead ceased to exist in any form.

Panting, she leaned heavily on the spear and wiped away the sweat from her brow, blood thumping in her ears.

"Marle!" Crono shouted from behind and she spun to face him. He had just swiped with his katana at the skeleton that was about to attack her. The blade only scratched the bones, but the undead was sent sprawling back. "Are you okay?"

His eyes were full of concern and Marle instantly felt better. "Yea," she replied, offering him the best smile she could. "Yea, I'm okay."

His expression softened even more for a moment. "Come on, don't stay behind!" Gesturing for her to follow, he turned back to make his way through the soldiers and skeletons locked in battle.

Ahead, Marle could see Lucca hard at work. Her flamethrower firmly in her hand, the inventor was generously spraying fire at the undead around. The flames reflected maniacally in her glasses and she seemed to be muttering invectives, but to her credit, she was taking the time to aim and avoid scorching either the Guardian soldiers or the bridge. The skeletons screeched when the flames hit them; many were incinerated on the spot, others were stumbling wildly, their bony structures ablaze.

Crono quickly leapt to Lucca's side and began tearing through the smoldering undead with his katana, annihilating them. Marle took a deep breath and began thinking about ice again, freezing the undead on the sides and shattering them with the spear she was still wielding. Around them, the soldiers of Guardia finally started noticing that the three strangers who joined the battle could use magic and contraptions they had never seen before. Somewhere in the back the Knight Captain hollered to 'help the kids'. A few soldiers joined Crono in tearing through the undead weakened by Lucca's flamethrower.

Before they even realized it, the scales of victory were tipped their way. They cleaved through the macabre ranks, pushing the skeletons back. The soldiers of Guardia regained the enthusiasm lost in the sea of helplessness and their cheering and determined eyes accompanied the blazing advance. But as they neared the south end of the bridge, embers and ashes dancing in the night in their wake, the skeletons suddenly drew back. They poured out onto the land of South Zenan, swarming into a quaking mass of bones, heaping one on top of another.

And from among the ones still standing in an arch around the bony mass, a new figure stepped out, as non-skeletal as could be. He was as fat as a barrel, completely green and dressed in flowing white robes. His green pointy ears, unnaturally white eyes and the fat tail dragging behind him labeled him as a definite Mystic.

"I'm Ozzie, Magus' top general!" he gurgled, his mouth stretching in an ill-boding grin to reveal a suit of pointy sharp teeth. "Those who dare defy Magus have to answer to me!"

The three freshly made soldiers glanced to each other. Appearances could be deceiving, but this guy looked as if his arteries were so clogged he was about to have a heart attack any moment now. If Magus was to be judged by his 'top general', then their chances against the mage had just shot through the roof.

But it soon turned out that the load of fat named Ozzie was not going to fight them in person. "Go Zombor!" he yelled gutturally, pivoting towards the quivering mass of bones behind him. "Give 'em a taste of doom!" He leapt, or rather wobbled, away to the other skeletons and they saw what exactly they were to face.

"Oh crud," Crono breathed and his companions couldn't agree more.

The skeletons that had piled up together weren't just forming a modern art piece, but rather, had somehow fused together into one giant skeletal warrior, Zombor. At least ten feet tall, his bulky and massive frame towered against the night sky. He had only one eye but it gleamed maniacally at them like a red warning sign. Behind him, two skeletal wings flapped about, macabre in their pointlessness.

Zombor let out a thundering roar and charged at them, his colossal feet quaking the ground. Marle and Lucca immediately shot ice and fire at him but to little effect. He staggered and roared, visibly outraged by the attack. His empty jaws suddenly filled with red and without any warning, he spew an enormous wave of fire at them, returning the favor.

All three barely managed to roll away, the flames almost licking their behinds. Picking herself up, Lucca evaluated their situation. Around them, the Guardian soldiers fought against the remaining skeletons, too caught up in battle to aid the 'magical kids'. They had to deal with the fused heap of bones on their own. The said heap now charged at Crono, snatching at the boy with massive bony arms. Crono sidestepped the attack and brought his katana down on one of Zombor's arms, but barely managed to scratch it. Marle sent another wave of ice at the monster, following it with a rapid succession of arrows, yet with little more luck.

But next to Marle was lying a white long spear that suddenly gained a lot of value to Lucca. She fixed her glasses and eyed the spear thoughtfully. Then Zombor, then the spear again and Zombor once more. Alright! A master plan was born! Springing into action, she ran towards Marle, picking up the spear just as Zombor spat another wave of fire onto them, illuminating the battlefield with an orange glow. They scampered away hastily, this time getting their hair and clothes singed.

"Marle! Crono!" Lucca shouted, the spear firmly in her hands. "Keep him busy!"

She rushed towards the giant, ignoring Marle's wide and questioning eyes. Zombor was colossal and yet fast, but he was just a skeleton. Meaning that his shins were made up of two bones each, forming cracks, ideal for lodging the spear into it. Just as Marle blasted the monster with ice again, Lucca jumped behind him and wedged the spear between the bones of one of his massive shins. Now she just had to bead the other shin onto the spear. Zombor was about to turn back to her, already swinging an arm, but Crono distracted him with a blinding bolt of lightning.

Lucca grabbed the end of the spear and diving in between the arch of the skeletal legs, pushed it through the crack of the opposite shin. Marle sent another blast of ice at the giant and Zombor roared madly, infuriated by the accumulation of magic. Red glow growing in his jaws, he took a step towards Marle and Crono. The enormous bones groaned and the spear creaked but held. Flapping his wings pointlessly, Zombor's immense weight plummeted to the ground, with a thud that sent all the forces around into the air.

"All together now!" Lucca yelled, her hand already glowing red. She didn't have to tell them, Crono and Marle were already summoning magic too. Lightning, ice and fire poured onto the giant. He roared in protest, his arms attempting to lift him up. Crono reached for his katana and brought it down heavily onto Zombor's spine. The bones, weakened by ice and fire, caved in and the monster was now split in two, trashing wildly. The girls kept bombarding him with magic and Crono hacked away at the bones. The places where Lucca followed Marle's ice with fire were particularly vulnerable and since Marle and Lucca noticed it too, soon Zombor was reduced to a heap of chopped up bones. Only his head remained whole, and it rolled away, still roaring and about to spew fire once more.

Lodging his sword into the ground, Crono raised his hands and sent one last lightning into the skull, as strong as he could muster. The air cracked and this time, so did the skull, shattering into a hail of splinters.

"All right! We did it!" Marle exclaimed in relief, wiping away the sweat from her forehead. "Great idea with the spear, Lucca!"

"Thanks," Lucca replied absentmindedly, already inspecting the situation around them. The battle between the undead and the forces of Guardia was still in progress, having only moved to the shore of South Zenan, but it was clear that the skeletons were retreating. And 'Magus' top general', Ozzie, was nowhere to be seen. Lucca frowned. She was more than certain that there was no mention of a Zombor in her notes. Nor of Guardia army ever making it to the other side of the bridge. Historically, the two armies were to remain locked in a stalemate until the end of the war. Meaning that unless historians had omitted that too, they had just changed history.

"We are forever in your debt," said a male voice behind them and they turned to see the Knight Captain. There was blood on his golden armor and a skeletal hand was clutched onto his red cape, fisting the material as if it was still fighting, but his eyes seemed much less weary now.

"It doesn't bother you that we can use magic...?" Marle asked tentatively.

The Knight Captain tore the skeletal hand away from his cape and dropped it to the ground, smashing it under one of his boots. He looked up to Marle with a shadow of amusement in his eyes. "Most of my soldiers have amulets and charms stacked away under their armor. If we could use magic, we wouldn't hesitate a second. I don't know how you can use magic, but frankly, I don't care. You helped us, that's all that matters."

"Here," he reached under his armor, pulling out a roll of paper. "I wrote it for you before, but then the Mystics attacked."

Lucca accepted the scroll from him and unrolled it, while Crono and Marle leaned in from the sides to have a look too. It was an official document, with a Guardia seal at the bottom and written in an official language and style, but the main gist of it was clear. It stated that the holder of the document acted in the name of the Kingdom of Guardia and that all forces of the kingdom, both civilian and military, were to assist him and his companions in all possible ways. Lucca felt her eyebrows rise appreciatively. The document could prove immensely useful to them and was a very generous gesture.

"Thank you," shed replied, rolling the scroll and stacking it away in her bag. "Do you know where the Hero was headed to?" They didn't really know where to search for Magus, except for the info about the island near the east shore, and the Hero, thanks to being the Hero, might have some more specific facts.

The Knight Captain regarded them quietly for a moment before replying. "He was headed to Sandorino, a village to the east. If you follow the road–" he nodded to the south, "–and then turn left at the crossroads, you should find it easily. It's about two hours walk away." He hesitated, watching them intently. "I... wouldn't depend much on the Hero, if I were you."

Marle blinked and then wrinkled her nose confidentially. "He's no good, we know."

The Knight Captain let out a short laugh. "All the better then. Now, if you excuse me, I need to return to the troops." Offering them a curt nod, he hastened to rejoin his soldiers, who were battling against the remaining skeletons.

Lucca pushed up her glasses, watching the bony undead intently. How _did_ they move...? Without muscles, without sinews and brains? And, for that matter, how was it possible for them to merge into Zombor? She felt a sudden desire to capture one and find out. If only they were here for fun...

"It's horrible," Marle said quietly next to her and Lucca glanced to her. "So many soldiers were killed in just one night..."

Yes, Lucca thought, turning back to the bridge. Many had died. All over the bridge, among bone shards and ashes, bodies laid strewn, some with skeletal spears still embedded into them.

"Such is war," Crono said, also watching the bridge. "At least it's almost over now."

Marle turned to Lucca, her eyes somehow mature and solemn. "Do you think we have saved some soldiers today...?"

Lucca frowned inwardly. No, she doubted they had made much of a difference in that respect. Whether they had just altered history or not, the Mystics would probably regroup and return tomorrow. And without them here, the battle over the bridge would be back on its previous track. Those saved today would die tomorrow. But... Marle needed consolation, not the harsh reality. And they probably _did_ save some soldiers, at least for a day or two.

"Yes," she replied, smiling lightly at the Princess.

Marle smiled back brightly, her energy recharged. "Alright! Then let's go! If we find Magus quickly, we could end the war faster!"

Picking a few of the arrows she had shot earlier, she headed briskly to the south and to the road looming at the edge of the clearing. Lucca and Crono followed, making their way through the fading combat.

They reached Sandorino after a little over two hours of dragging themselves along the forested road. Fortunately, the moon shone brightly enough for the road to be easily discernible and they hadn't run into any stray Mystics on the way. Even more fortunate was that the Knight Captain had told them to turn left at the crossroads, because when they had arrived at the crossroads, they found that the arrow sign with 'Sandorino' on it was pointing up to the sky, as if it couldn't be bothered pointing to the right direction in the middle of war mayhem.

It was already around midnight when they finally entered Sandorino, and found the village to be down for the night. Only a few windows were still alight, and a solitary dog was barking half-heartedly somewhere in the distance. Sandorino was not a particularly large village, but it had a stately main square, perhaps because many travelers stopped in the village when passing through the Zenan Bridge. Or at least used to.

That was probably also the reason why the Inn was quite large. They found it easily, thanks to the obvious and large hanging sign saying 'Sandorino Inn' outside. Whether the Hero was still in the village or not, it was late, they were tired, bruised and scratched, and needed a place to stay for the night. Despite the late hour, there was still light in the window next to the door. Through it, they could see tables and chairs, a bar counter further in the back and a man sitting at one of the tables. He was writing on one of the parchments scattered on the table and the flickering candle next to him was the source of light they saw.

Even though the owner was obviously still up, it was undeniably late, so Crono knocked politely on the door. After a few moments and a few clicking sounds from inside, the door opened and they found themselves with a crossbow pointed straight into their faces, ready to fire.

"We just want a room...," Crono offered placidly, instinctively raising his hands up.

The man holding the crossbow, a stern looking middle-aged innkeeper with a shadow of a ruddy stubble, eyed them up and down cagily. Their incongruous clothes and armor did not speak well for them. "Who are you?" he asked brusquely.

Lucca reached into her bag and pulled out the royal sanction the Knight Captain had given them. "We are here to aid the Hero in his quest to defeat Magus," she said smoothly, handing the unrolled scroll to the man. It _was_ partially true...

The innkeeper scanned the document quickly. "Alright," he said, lowering the crossbow, "I'll put you up for the night, or however long you want. But you have to pay in advance. A customer is a customer."

Fair enough, they decided and stepped inside.

"Is it always so... nervous around here?" Marle asked while Crono, their unofficial treasurer, paid for the service.

"Nighttime is their time," the innkeeper replied disinterestedly, pocketing the money and picking up the candle. "They've spared the village so far, only take the food sometimes, just like the Guardian troops. But it's better to keep your eyes peeled after dark."

"You want separate rooms or one for three?" he asked and they glanced to each other. "For separate rooms you'd have add some coins."

"Then we'll take one for three," Crono replied. Their journey could turn out long so they were on a tight budget.

The innkeeper led them to the back of the inn, past the door next to the counter and into the dark hall behind.

"By the way, has the Hero been here recently?" Marle asked casually as they stepped onto the rickety stairs leading to the upper level.

The man cast them a flat glance over his shoulder. "Don't know how much of a hero he is, but yeah, there was a 'Hero' here yesterday."

"You're a day late though," he added, opening one of the doors in the corridor at the top of the stairs. "He left this morning for the Denadoro Mountains."

"Denadoro Mountains...?" Crono frowned. He knew of the mountains, sure, but what was the Hero doing there...?

They stepped into the dark room and the innkeeper used the candle he was holding to light the one on the table inside. "He heard of the story told around here, about the Masamune. They say Masamune is the only sword that can defeat Magus and that it's hidden near the top of the south Denadoro peak, in a cave near the waterfall. Every year some idiots try to find it, but most either get lost or get beat up by the Ogans. And those who claim to have found the cave, tell some insane stories about two magical children guarding it. All codswollop, if you ask me."

Shrugging, he moved to leave the room. "Goodnight," he threw them over his shoulder, like an afterthought.

Crono could hardly contain himself upon hearing the story. "Did you hear that? The magical sword that can defeat Magus! It's bound to be amazing!"

Lucca stifled a yawn while groggily undressing herself. "Yes, and I bet you want to go look for it, but can we discuss it in the morning? I'm totally spent."

"And it's not going to go anywhere," Marle agreed, plopping down onto one of the beds and undoing the multiple straps on her.

Seeing how uncooperative they were, Crono waved his hand dejectedly in their general direction, giving up on trying to talk to them about it. But even when he too got himself ready for bed and they blew the candlelight away, he couldn't stop thinking about it. A legendary magical sword that can defeat the evil mage - it was a classic heroic tale straight from books! And right in his face! Sure they were in a hurry, but they could spare a day to go check it out, right? He began preparing a list of reasons why they not only could, but _ought_ to go for the sword and even as he was falling asleep, he was rehearsing his line of reckoning.

But when he woke up, the sun was already far up in the sky and the girls were not in the room. For once fully aware of whom he was, where, why and how, Crono leapt out of the bed, hastily pulled his clothes and armor back on and set out to find his missing companions.

He found them in the dining area downstairs. There were very few people inside at the moment, only two elderly men at a table near the bar, a youngster sweeping the floor, a waitress and his missing party. The girls were sitting at the table near the window, eating breakfast. Or nearly having eaten it already, since when he was sitting down next to them, their plates were almost empty of the scrambled eggs they had ordered.

"Morning!" Marle smiled at him brightly, "We didn't wake you up because Lucca said it would be a waste of time and effort for all sides involved. Want breakfast?" He nodded and she waved her hand at the waitress sauntering about in the room.

Crono wasted no time in jumping at the topic that had captured him so on the night before. "So? Can we now talk about the Masamune?"

To his surprise, Marle giggled lightly and Lucca waved her hand at him, finishing her orange juice. "Yes, we know. You want to go look for it. We have already agreed to agree, but since you probably have a whole list of reasons to back you up, let us hear them."

Crono narrowed his eyes at her in mock disdain. True, they had known each other almost all their lives and thus she knew him like the back of her hand, but that was no reason to be so presumptuous. "For one thing," he replied airily while Marle was trying to suppress her giggles, "a legendary magical sword could be of great help in defeating Magus and we could use all the help we can get in that department. That's a pretty obvious reason, no?"

"You... want to defeat Magus?" a tentative voice asked next to them and they looked up to see the waitress standing next to the table.

The boy sweeping the floor laughed suddenly. "Yes, Cecil, treat another customer to your fancy story of how you have run into Magus. I bet they'll leave you a great tip for your imagination!"

The girl scoffed at him angrily, her cheeks reddening. "I'm not making it up, Bert! And mind your own business!"

The boy rolled his eyes and went back to his job. The group looked to each to other, their curiosity piqued. A waitress from Sandorino running into Magus?

Cecil turned back to them with a willful gleam in her eyes. "I didn't make it up. He just doesn't believe me because he says I would be long dead if I had really come across Magus."

Yes, she could see why that would be a natural assumption, Lucca thought, propping her chin on a hand. "Can you tell us the story? I assure you we won't be fast to dismiss it. We're rather hard to surprise by this point."

Cecil eyed them hesitantly for a moment, but finally seemed to decide that they were trustworthy. "It was just a few months ago when I went out after dark to find my cat. I know I shouldn't have, but Reik, the Summerfield's dog, is out to get him, so I was really worried..." she paused for a moment, catching herself on the side-tracks. "So anyways, I was only like half a mile away from the village when I ran into a woman. She was very pretty, though she had weird pink hair and strange clothes. But then, when she noticed me, she smiled somehow... grubbily and grasped my chin. She said, 'What a cute little thing. Wanna play, human?'"

Lucca fixed her glasses, feeling slightly perturbed. And judging from the look in her eyes, so was Cecil. She fidgeted slightly, her fingers rumpling the hem of her frock. "I was getting scared then, because her voice was strange, too low for a woman, you know? But then a man came out from the forest and told her to leave me and that they were going. And then she whined, 'Oh come on, Magus, I just wanna play.' So... then I thought that he was Magus."

A brilliant deduction, Lucca admitted mentally. "And...?" she prompted.

Cecil half-shrugged. "And nothing really. He just told her again that they were going so she let go of me, saying 'Later, sweetums' and they left."

Well, that was disappointing, Lucca concluded. But granted, it was actually believable exactly because it was neither gory nor overly dramatic.

"How did he look like?" Marle asked and Lucca had to admit that it was a very good question. Not that it particularly mattered for combat purposes, but Magus' appearance was almost a national secret in their times, so it was a worthwhile topic. Although, if they were to prevent him from creating Lavos, they would find out for themselves sooner or later anyway.

Cecil frowned slightly. "That's the strange thing. See, I always thought that Magus looked like a monster, you know, like an Ogan or something, but no. He was actually good-looking." A synchronized eye-brow raising operation happened at the table. Now that was a new one! "Or rather he would've been if he wasn't so..." Cecil's frown deepened as she seemed to be searching for the right term, "..._inhuman_."

Ah, Lucca shook her head, so they were back at the start. Although how inhuman he was to be not just inhuman, but _inhuman_? Marle continued the conversation with Cecil, who complained that most people didn't believe her when she got back home that night, but Lucca wasn't listening. Her chin still propped on her hand, she looked out of the window, weighting the new information. It was actually quite interesting, especially in view of what they had heard from the soldier at Zenan Bridge. The man had vehemently claimed that Magus was a soulless beast, and it was also generally agreed upon that he positively hated humans, and yet... Cecil had lived. If her story was true, then killing her would've been hardly an effort for him and yet it seemed as if he couldn't be bothered.

Frowning, she pushed up her glasses. The more they were learning about their future opponent, the less sense the whole picture was making. Even putting her grudge against Mr. Riverbed aside, she had to admit that she was intrigued. Human or inhuman, real or fabricated, powerful or not; the list just kept growing every day, grating against her need for mental order of the world. Yes, she nodded to herself firmly, by the time they were back in their times, she was going solve the secret of the supposed yet enigmatic entity named Magus.

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I know, I know, still no Magus! But, I will try to wrap the non-Magus things up in the next chapter (two at most)!

And with the Zenan Bridge part, I practiced narrating battles, so if anyone could let me know how it came out...?


	8. Chapter 08

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews: **As ever, thank you all magnificent beings who have reviewed, especially those who review regularly:D

**crazycutie2:** Thank you, and sorry for not replying in the previous chapter, but your review got to me only _after_ I posted the next chapter! And unfortunately, there's still some to go before any romance, because I'm a fan of really drawn out romances and of prbing deeply into the psyche of the characters involved. . 

**Indigo Tantarian:** Thank you! I haven't been a Flea fan before, but now that I have him/her more detailed (slightly OC at that) in my mind, I'm becoming a real fan!

**zipis1: **Hahaha, glad to be of use ;) And as for the descriptions of Magus – I wanted to capture the feel of the game somehow. When I first played it, I had no idea about the plot or anything, so to a degree I was expecting Magus to be the final boss. After all, a HUGE part of the game is spent on pursuing him, so I wanted to capture the atmosphere of a character being unknown yet constantly present in the game. So I'm glad you liked it! And thanks for reviewing:)

**Saikan:** Hahaha, thank you. And true, but come on! That's well deserved! Magus is probably one of the most – if not the most – original characters in the whole RPG genre!

**GoldenSunGeek:** Yay! That's what I was going for! And I can relate to the sentiment of narrating battles, this fic popped into my mind first when I took Lucca, Magus and Frog on Death Peak and started adding dialogue between them, especially when trying to hide behind the tree... Luckily, I live on my own ;) And thanks for reviewing! -–Is shipping the clone frantically­–-

**ShadowCatYumi08:** Thank you! The finding out about the mountain part was really confusing in the game, because some random people just mention the legend of Masamune and you're supposed to figure it out on your own... -.- And just one more chapter! ;)

**Shaded Mazoku:** Thank you! Battles really are a pain, especially since I'm more of a stream of consciousness type of writer (as evidenced by my other, atrociously long and non-actiony fic...). I didn't really get a chance to see how thou farest with it, since I only read your recent fic, but I still think you're being too generous ;) And come on! Magus is a whole-hearted, dedicated villain! He pulled a number on the entire race of Mystics, that's hard to top!

**SayinaLegend1:** Thank you! I am decided on Flea, but for suspense reasons, it's a secret! ;) But I do have quite a part for him/her, reaching beyond the data from the game, since I intend to add some and change some in that department. I know what you mean about mishmash-like battles, I often am compelled to skip an entire battle, both when reading and writing, just because it goes on forever and doesn't add anything to the story except hundreds of words -.- I tried to straighten out the Tata bit somewhat, since it's very dodgy in the game, so I hope it came out fine! And thanks again for reviewing!

**Quizer: **Thank you! And I give no refunds on the clone! A deal is a deal, so now you deal with him! ;)

**The Dragon Sorceress: **Hahaha, short and to the point, thank you!

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_Chapter 08 – Heroes, Frogs and Lost Dinners_

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"Aaaahhhhhhh!" The scream reverberated through the mountains as the boy producing it dashed past them. He looked about eleven or twelve, had a mop of violet spiky hair, a heroically red cape and an oversized shield. And a large, bronze medallion dangling from his neck. "Monsters! Monsters!" he howled while his legs dribbled against the ground like drumsticks and his shield clattered desperately. "Run awaaaay!"

He raced down the slope, nearly leaving a dust trail behind him, and the three companions stared after him, lost for words.

"Y, you don't think," Marle stammered finally, "that THIS was the Hero...?"

Lucca slowly reached up to fix her glasses, stupefied. "I can see now why the Knight Captain wanted to warn us... but, how on EARTH did anyone ever believe he was going to save Guardia?"

"A drowning man catches at a straw," Crono offered. "Although 'at a squirt' would be more appropriate here."

"Uh-hm," Marle agreed.

Around them, the trademark winds of Denadoro Mountains whooshed wistfully, as if in agreement. They had trekked up the mountains right after Crono had finished his scrambled eggs and orange juice. The trip had been a few hours' long, uninspiring and pretty much uneventful. The Denadoro Mountains – both in 600 A.D. and in their times – were the home of the Ogans, a very particular species of Mystics. Ogans were large and very burly, with thick, mud-green skin and long, forever entangled hair. Often referred to as 'Goblins', their build and apparel fell more under 'Ogres', but few people cared for terminological accuracy. Their main hobbies consisted of sleeping lazily in the sun and catching fish in the streams of the Denadoro Mountains.

However, during the Mystic War some Ogans began feeling Mystically patriotic and wanted to join the combat. Unfortunately – for them, that is – their lack of intelligence was rivaled only by their lack of beauty, so the best weapons they could devise were large wooden mallets. Against a boy like the one that had just scrammed down the mountain it was more than enough, but against them it was hardly threatening. The mallets caught on fire easily, causing the Ogans to thrust them aside with looks of such utter befuddlement on their thickset faces that the group just couldn't help laughing, loosing points for combat style.

After such a monotonous trek they were finally nearing the top of the south peak, just as the sun was reaching the horizon. Leaving the scarady Hero to make it back down on his own – he _did_ make it all the way up after all, as surprising as it was – they hiked up along the stream and soon found the waterfall. And next to it, gaped a dark entrance to a deep cave.

Cautiously, they entered the darkness of the cavern and followed a damp corridor deep into the mountain. It led to a spacious cave, surprisingly bright thanks to a shaft that seemed to connect the cave to the outside, allowing sunlight to disperse the darkness. The bright sunbeam was falling strait down onto a raised platform in the back of the cave. In the middle of the platform a sword was rammed into the ground, its red hilt glistening in the light of the sunbeam, in a manner perfectly befitting a heroic story. What didn't befit the heroic story was the small green-haired boy, around five or six years old, who was sitting in front of the platform, playing with a few stones.

"Huh?" he boy raised his head, noticing them. "Here for the Masamune?" he asked leisurely.

The three glanced to each to other, puzzled. The innkeeper _did_ mention that some told of magical children guarding the sword, but... what the...?

Finally, Crono decided that 'no pain, no gain'. "Yes."

The boy got up and dusted off his pants. "Thought so... Wait a second, okay? Masaaaaa!" he hollered towards the pedestal. After that second another kid, an identical twin of the first one, appeared from the shadows of the cave.

"What...?" he yawned, stretching, then noticed the group. "Oh, not again! So, you want to get a name for yourself by grabbing the Masamune? What buffoons!" He eyed them up and down in obvious disapproval.

The other kid snickered. "Humans are so... silly! It's how you USE the sword that's important... not who owns it!" Tilting his head, he turned to his twin. "So, are we gonna test them?"

"Yup," replied the yawning one. "Just like the usual. They can entertain us for awhile."

"All right!" the first one jumped up, grinning broadly. "Here we go! Whooosh!"

Suddenly, the two kids swirled around and with a slight pop changed into two short green-skinned creatures. Both had beak-like mouths, white eyes and wore white flowing clothes, and unlike the Ogans, they both looked like proper goblins.

Lucca pushed her glasses up, her eyebrows rising. What on earth...? Not only was it highly weird that two kids were stuck in a cave along with a sword, not only one of them referred to the other as 'Masa', while the sword was called 'Masamune', but now they both changed forms! Yet her astonished considerations were cut short by having to prepare for an attack. The creature she guessed to be 'Mune' was jumping up and down, his robes flaring, in clear anticipation of the fight. She reached for her gun, but Marle's voice made her pause.

"Hold on, hold on," the Princess demanded, waving her hands. "You're going to fight us just like that...?"

Mune ceased his jumping and the creatures frowned, looking at Marle questioningly. "You said you wanted the Masamune, so you have to fight to prove your dubious worth," Masa said finally.

Marle replied with a dubious glance of her own. "But if you're some sort of guardians of the sword, shouldn't you test our heroism and such? You know, whether we're worthy to be the heroes. If we defeat you, we'll only prove we're strong, but we could use the sword for evil purposes anyway."

Crono and Lucca looked to Marle appreciatively. That was a very valid point!

"Yeah," Crono agreed, turning back to the creatures, "shouldn't you be testing our moral integrity and the righteousness of out intentions? We're here to obtain the legendary sword and defeat the evil rising in the land and you just want to brawl with us?"

Mune made an annoyed face and was about to retort, but his double stopped him with a wave of a hand and narrowed his white eyes at the group. "What exactly did you say you want the Masamune for?"

"We didn't say because you didn't ask us!" Marle pointed out indignantly.

"To defeat Magus, putting it simply," Lucca cut in obligingly.

Mune whistled uneasily while Masa, who was clearly the brains of the duo, eyed them up and down carefully. "You do know he'd turn you into fodder on the spot, right?"

Marle turned her nose up at them huffingly. "Don't write us off for garbage just yet! We know magic!"

Two sets of white eyes focused on them suddenly, narrowing in scrutiny. "Magic, you say...?" Masa said finally. "All right, show us! Just whip out your best and don't worry, you're not gonna hurt us."

"We'll see about that," Marle muttered crossly, her hand already up. Somehow, those two strange creatures rubbed her the wrong way, assuming who- knows-what about them.

All three focused and blasted away at the goblin-like creatures with all the magic they could muster. Neither of the olive-colored duo appeared affected much by the attack, although Mune seemed to get excited and replied with an attack of his own. He sent a powerful wind blast their way and the group was hurled back through the shadowy cave. When they collected themselves from the rocky ground, rubbing the various body parts that suffered the most at the impact, Mune was already passing his judgment on them.

"Man," he groaned, turning to his counterpart, "their magic could hardly scrape the grime off from that idiot Magus' smelly boots!"

But Masa ignored both his brother and his assessment of Magus' personal hygiene and intelligence. He was watching the group intently, his odd white eyes narrowed in thought. Finally, he turned to his brother and began whispering something into his pointy green ear. All the group caught was 'clothes', 'gun' and 'fix', but it was hardly enough to put together what was passing into Mune's ear.

Once his double was done, Mune eyed him skeptically. "You can't be serious..."

"It might be our best chance to get fixed," Masa replied, his eyes narrowing in consideration again.

Mune sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you say, brother. Last time we did it my way and we both know where that got us."

"All right," he turned to the group, who had been watching the scene in growing confusion, "we'll cut you a deal. See, we sort of have a personal history with Magus. He kinda... broke us."

"Broke you...?" Lucca repeated questioningly.

The two guardians nodded grimly. "So here's the deal," Mune continued, "you fix us and we help you kick his ass. Take it or leave it, but remember, no fixing, no help!"

"Fix you...?" Marle frowned, but got no reply. Masa and Mune only exchanged a meaningful glance and headed towards the pedestal and the sword thrust into the ground there. The three companions exchanged a glance of their own, a rather confused glance, and followed after the odd duo. To their surprise, once the two creatures approached the sword, they faded into nothingness, leaving the group alone in the cave and blinking in astonishment.

"What on earth is going on here...?" Lucca asked, slowly reaching up to adjust her glasses.

Marle made a puzzled face. "Maybe they're some kind of spirits of the sword...? Legendary swords often have their own spirits in stories..."

If those two were the spirits of the sword, Crono thought, then what did they mean by 'broken'...? Frowning, he moved forward and stepped onto the steps carved in rock that led up the platform. Ahead, the red hilt shone, illuminated by the pillar of faint light, like a distant promise of righting all the wrongs of the world. Slowly, Crono reached out to take hold of the legendary sword, a great part of him savoring the moment. But as soon as his fingers curled around the cold hilt and he pulled the blade out of the ground, the illusion was shattered. Bright light shimmered within his hand and once it dispersed, he was left holding a cold metallic blade, broken off from a sword. If this was the Masamune, then it was the edge half of it.

"Broken...?" Marle said slowly, her eyes glancing up from the wrecked blade to Crono's stunned face.

"Broken," he confirmed just as slowly, tentatively gripping the blade to test if it was real. It was, or at least felt as tangible as could be.

Next to them, Lucca heaved a sigh. Odd children changing into even odder creatures; the odder creatures becoming one with a sword; the sword turning out to be an illusion – it seemed that reality was out to prove to her that it wasn't real at all. Sighing once more, she decided to peg the pesky reality for the moment. "If I get this right, we're to find the other half and then fix the sword. But how are we to do that? The other half could be anywhere and we're on a tight schedule."

Blinking a few times, Crono shook himself out of his daze. "They said that Magus broke them, so maybe he has the other half...?"

A roguish chuckle suddenly filled the cave and Crono almost dropped the blade in surprise. "That's simple, silly human!" said Mune's voice, "Find the Hero and you'll find us!"

They stared at the sword, mouths slightly agape. The sword had just proven beyond any remaining doubts that it was highly magical, even if broken. But... the Hero? Lucca opened her mouth to ask how finding that little scarady squirt could help them find the other half of the Masamune, but Masa's voice interrupted her.

"Allow me," the more mature of the odd disappearing duo said, "We'll ride the wind to the base of the mountain!"

Before they could ask what he meant, or object to the frivolous idea, a sudden gush of wind curled around them. Among surprised gasps and frantic grabs at their possessions, they were snatched by the powerful whirl and lifted up into the air. The wind carried them up and through the shaft, towards the fully reddened skies. Marle's gleeful 'weeee!' accompanied their bizarre ride on the winds down the rocky mountains of Denadoro.

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"Where could that brat have run off to?" Marle asked irritably as they were once more entering Sandorino village. After the windy ride down the mountain, they had kept an eye on the 'Hero', hoping to find him fast and thus solve Mune's enigmatic advice. But all they found was a discarded shield on the road leading back to the village. Having no other clues, and needing a place to stay anyway since the evening was beginning to loom heavily on the horizon, they headed back to the Sandorino Inn.

"I'm not sure if tracking him down is even worth the effort," Lucca said as Crono pushed the wooden door and she entered the establishment after Marle. "It could take days and we could end up missing the chance to stop Magus."

Walking through the door behind her, Crono frowned. "We've only used up two days so far, so we still have a lot of the month left."

Lucca turned back to him, ready to remind him that they didn't know exactly how long they had and that it could very well be just a week and not a month, but Marle's surprised voice made her pause.

"Look!" the Princess was pointing to a table in the back of the Inn's dining area. "Tracking him down won't be much of an effort!"

It was evening already and the Inn was much more crowded than it had been in the morning. Many of the inhabitants of the village sought a breather after a day of labor and had come for a pint or two. Cressets and candles illuminated the inn, basking it in an invitingly warm glow. People sat around the tables and the bar, talking and drinking. And at the table in the back, under the shadow of the wall, sat their lost Hero. Still in his heroic red cape, but looking gloomy and despondent, he was picking idly at the food on the plate in front of him.

Exchanging sneaky grins, the group made their way through the clamor of the inn and drew back the chairs at his table, joining his corner of gloom.

"Why so miserable, oh Great Hero?" Lucca quipped, propping her chin on her hands, a wily grin stretching her lips.

The boy's head jerked up to them and his eyes widened in apparent recognition. "You guys were in the mountains! And you made it back!" he paused suddenly, his mood visibly dropping once more as Lucca's words fully registered with him. "I'm not the Hero...," he confessed quietly, his eyes lowering down to his plate again.

"But isn't that the Hero Medal...?" Marle asked innocently, leaning forward towards the bronze medallion hanging from the boy's neck.

The boy sighed heavily, his hand reaching up to clasp around the medal. "It's not really mine... I just found it by accident." He sighed again, as if battling with his thoughts. "I... A guy dropped it in the Cafe in Porre, where I'm from. I'm Tata, by the way," he looked up to them apologetically.

They each uttered their respective names, not really bothering to add 'nice to meet you's to them.

"So?" Marle prompted Tata with a wave of her hand. "Who was the guy then?"

Tata heaved another sigh, although looking slightly more reconciled with the end of his heroic career. "He looked really weird. He was dressed like a human and walked like a human, but he looked just like a large frog. At first everybody thought he was a Mystic when he came to the cafe one night, but he only wanted to know how the war was faring. Still, Rolf, the butcher's son – he can be really aggressive after a few beers – started pushing the guy around, telling him to get lost. And then the medal fell out of his pocket. It rolled under one of the tables and nobody noticed it but me."

He paused once more, glancing up to them apologetically again. "I just wanted to sell it at first, but then on my way to the market a soldier started shouting that it's the Hero Medal and that I must be the Hero. And I... sort of went along with it... I'm really sorry..." He seemed to shrink in his seat, probably expecting a thorough scolding, but neither of the three could be bothered to discipline the naughty wannabe hero.

"A frog...," Lucca repeated slowly, frowning. "Could it be our froggy acquaintance from saving Queen Leene...?"

"It sounds like him," Crono agreed pensively. "Did he talk funny?" he asked, turning to Tata.

The boy nodded, his mouth full. Having shared his burden he appeared to have regained some of his spirits and was now finishing his cold meal. "You know him?" he asked, swallowing.

"We might," Marle replied. She hadn't really met Frog in person, but Crono had described the strange knight to her in sufficient detail.

Tata swallowed down another bite of the cold potatoes, watching them intently. Reaching a decision, he put down the fork and looped the medal off from his neck. "Here," he said, placing it on the table. "Return it to him then, if you find him..."

Crono reached out and picked up the medal, bringing it closer to his eyes. The girls leaned in from his sides to have a better look too. It was quite large, around four inches in diameter. An intricate pattern of delicate leaves was carved onto it, cut in the middle by an image of a large sword. Whether it really dated back to Sharr was a matter of doubt, but it certainly looked old. The bronze edges were indented in several places and the faded and unreadable inscription on the back was in written in an ancient looking style.

"You know," Crono said to his companions, frowning lightly, "I can't help feeling that we're doing somebody else's job. The Hero's, more specifically. Battling the undead, obtaining the Masamune and now the Hero Medal – shouldn't the Hero be doing all that?"

"Maybe _you_ are the Hero," Marle offered with a light smile.

"Could be," Lucca agreed, her eyes twinkling teasingly behind her glasses. "Especially if we are stuck in a loop, then we're simply doing what we're supposed to."

Crono replied with a dubious glance. "I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy being the Hero, I mean, who wouldn't, right?" Tata could only nod to that, despite feeling slightly confused by the conversation. "But I was actually thinking about Frog."

All three people at the table stared at him silently. It was Tata who finally broke the impasse. "You mean... the frog guy is the Hero...?"

Crono half-shrugged, rotating the medal in his hands and watching it pensively. "It does seem like that. Think about it; he had the medal, is a skilled swordsman and has a hero's personality – noble and honorable."

"But...," Marle countered slowly, "he's a _frog_!"

"Now you're being needlessly judgmental," Lucca scolded her, waving her hand at Cecil, who was bustling around the crowded room. They could just as well grab something to eat while they were here. "But regardless of whether he is or isn't – not to mention that I don't see the medal actually _picking_ somebody – it's interesting that he had it. Maybe he's the one who has the other half of the Masamune."

Pausing as she recalled the original reason for searching for the Hero, she turned to Tata questioningly. "Just to be extra prudent, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the other half of the Masamune, would you?"

Tata scrounged up his face in reply, "Whatcha taking about...? The other half of the Masamune...?"

Clearly he had no idea on what Lucca meant. "So," Marle sighed, "if we want to fix the Masamune, we should find Frog. Any ideas?"

A silence fell upon the table. None had any; as far as they knew, Frog used to live in Guardia Castle, as a bodyguard of the Queen, but he had left after the Queen had been rescued. Where to, he didn't say and they never asked.

It was once more Tata who broke the silence. "Actually," he said, looking at them intently from under the mop of his unruly violet hair, "I think I know."

The three companions glanced to him curiously. "Then pray tell," Lucca said, pushing her glasses up, "and we won't tell anyone how 'eager' you were to get off the mountain."

Tata cast her a quick thrown look but accepted the offer. "When I got here two days ago, Toma, the explorer, was here too. The village chief hired him to find the Rainbow Shell–"

"The Rainbow Shell...?" Marle cut in, intrigued by the odd name.

Tata nodded eagerly. "It's some kind of a mythical material that would supposedly make great reflective armor. So the chief hired Toma to find it. When I got here, Toma was spending the money on cider and insisted on talking to me. He often comes to Porre, so I know him well, and I guess he wanted to brag about the Rainbow Shell to me. But he was already woozy by the time and soon slipped off into talking about his other finds."

He paused, eying them cautiously. "Just for the record, you do know that a lot of what Toma says is pure baloney, right?"

Lucca nodded, again propping her chin on her hands. "We figured as much. So he said something about Frog?"

"Yeah," Tata confirmed, "he said that he had run into that frog guy near the southern woods. And that the southern woods are full of Mystic Frogs, but that this one was different, with a sword and a cape. I was a bit worried then, you know, that the frog told Toma about the medal, but he didn't say anything about it."

He seemed willing to tell them more about his stress over being the Hero, but the party wasn't interested in his inner turmoils. Southern woods, eh? Lucca thought, frowning slightly. If she recalled correctly, southern woods weren't exactly in the south, but rather to the south-west, beyond the Rokanaro Mountains. It would take them at least a few days to get there, at least a week if they had to walk. And on each of those days Magus might create Lavos and thus render their voyage completely pointless, albeit interesting.

Sighing, she turned her attention to Tata once more. "And you also wouldn't happen to know anything about Magus, right?"

"Other than that he's an ultra powerful evil mage...?" Tata clarified and the party gave him flat looks. "...No."

Then the best clue they had as to the whereabouts of the dark mage was the information on his 'evil lair' on an island to the east. It did seem likely that an evil mage about to create a world-destroyer would do it in his den of iniquity, but unfortunately they didn't really know _which_ island it was, or how to get there. Not to mention that if Magus really was authentic and kick-ass powerful then they could without a doubt use the help of the magical Masamune. Then it was off to the southern woods with them.

Crono and Marle were watching her patiently, waiting for her decision. Just like Crono was their unofficial treasurer, she was the unofficial – or maybe official – keeper of the historical integrity and temporal plausibility of their adventure. "To the southern woods then," she told them. Crono grinned at once, undoubtedly pleased by the prospect of pursuing the legendary sword until it was all heroic again.

Just as they had finally set a new course of action, Cecil finally made her way to the table, and they ordered healthy rations of fried potatoes and meat pie, the specialty of the establishment. Funny, Lucca thought while Marle engaged in some small talk with the fake hero Tata. They were on the general mission of stopping Magus, freshly on the quest of repairing the sword that had a personal history with Magus and had been broken by Magus, and now they were ordering dinner from a girl who had had a run-in with Magus. If he wasn't authentic, then he was one hell of a busy fabrication.

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"I HATE frogs!" Lucca grumbled, giving the innocent looking amphibian a wide berth.

On the forest path ahead of her, Marle chuckled in amusement. "It's funny how you hate the small ones more than the large Mystic ones."

"It's because the small ones are the sneakiest," Lucca replied indignantly. "One moment you see them, the next one you don't. And in the meantime, they could've sneaked down your pants."

Both her companions chuckled at her, but Lucca didn't have the energy to further enlighten them to the inherent perfidy of the frog species. They had been walking through the southern woods for hours now, following various paths and looking for any signs of the knight who looked like a frog and used to own the Hero Medal. As they have learnt, the woods were actually called the Cursed Woods by the people from the nearby villages, but so far they hadn't encountered any ghouls or specters that would validate the name. What they had encountered were frogs, frogs and once more frogs. Normal – that is sneaky – frogs and Mystics frogs – large, annoying and spewing poisonous gases and sticky saliva on them.

What they had also found in the Cursed Woods were marshes. Left, right and center; marshes, swamps and bogs; everywhere. One step off a path almost invariably meant sinking into a smelly pothole, full of rotting wood and mosquito larvae. All three of them were now dirty, grimy and sweaty almost head to toe, although they hadn't been all that clean to begin with, thanks to the hurried journey from Sandorino to the south.

They had set off next morning after talking to Tata, catching a wagon ride to another village further south. From then on, they had spent four days on the journey, getting all possible lifts and even hiring themselves out to a man who wanted protection against the Mystics on his way. Even sleep had been a precious commodity, so sanitation had been pretty much on the bottom of their priority list. Thankfully, the Cursed Woods smelled so profoundly that they couldn't smell themselves anymore, a most welcomed improvement.

"Not to be a pessimist," Marle said suddenly, stopping in her tracks, "but haven't we already been in this part of the forest...? Look at that tree, I'm pretty sure we've passed it before."

She was pointing to a tree growing a little off the path. Surrounded by a frill of entangled bushes, the tree formed a peculiar shape out of its gnarled branches, almost resembling a man standing upright with his hands outstretched up to the skies.

Crono groaned tiredly. "This _can't_ be the same tree! We've been walking for hours!"

'This work is brutal', Lucca remembered suddenly, agreeing wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Resignedly, she watched as Crono trudged on towards the tree, as if wanting to confirm it was really there. But just as he stomped onto the edge of the bushy frill around the tree, his footing gave in and with a short outcry of surprise he disappeared from their view, tumbling down into a hole in the ground.

"Crono!" Marle cried out, rushing towards him.

"Crono!" an oddly familiar voice called out from the hole, "is this thee? Thou art here to practice thy skill in swordplay?"

A painful moan followed the far-fetched question and impossible accent. "Good news," Crono's voice said weekly, "I found him..."

As Lucca learnt when she descended down the ladder after Marle, the hole was Frog's residence. A candle on the table illuminated the capacious hovel. A bed made of dried grass, a few wobbly chests, a table and a few chairs furnished the odd dwelling. On the ground laid Crono, groaning and rubbing his aching bones. Above him stood Frog, just as frog-like as he was the last time she had seen him. His bulbous yellow eyes were fixed on Marle, a look of puzzlement on his green frog face.

"Thou couldst be a twin to the Queen...," he said slowly.

Marle flashed him a smile. "I know, everybody says so! But I'm Marle," she extended a slender hand to the short knight who shook it dazedly. "Nice to meet you!"

"The delight be all mine, I assure thee," he replied and blinked slowly, accepting the reality of Marle's appearances.

Lucca moved to the table, brushing off a bit of grime from her clothes and sitting down on one of the chairs. "Frog, we have an odd question to ask you, if you don't mind. Have you by any chance lost a medal lately...?"

"Medal...?" Frog repeated, his expression guarded.

Lucca gestured to Crono, who pulled out the Hero Medal from his pocket. Finally rising from the ground, he handed it to Frog, whose eyes widened once more. "Th, the Hero Medal!" he stammered.

Crono grinned. "If we got it right, it's rightfully yours and you lost it in the Cafe in Porre." Frog nodded slowly.

"So you are the Hero then!" Marle exclaimed, both surprised and relieved that they had found the Hero in Frog.

But the short knight remained silent for a long moment, looking down to the bronze medallion in his hands. "The Hero...," he said quietly at length, "...I am not he..."

Lucca glanced to her companions, her frown reflected on their faces. Had Frog too just found the medal? Would they have to look further to find the Hero mentioned by Mune? "So," she said, recalling the bottom-line reason for their visit, "you wouldn't happen to know anything about the other half of the Masamune, would you?"

Frogs eyes shot up to her, startled. Next to him, Crono untangled the knots of the cloth that held the broken-off edge tied to his back. As the cloth slipped away, the smooth blade caught the light of the candle, reflecting it in a muted shine. A strangled gasp escaped the knight's throat and he stared at the blade, seemingly transfixed. "Th, the Masamune...!" he stammered once more, his eyes even wider than before. "How didst thou... Where...?"

"We got it in the Denadoro Mountains," Marle supplied, watching the stunned knight curiously.

Slowly, Frog reached out to slide his gloved fingers down the blade in Crono's hands. "...in a cave near the waterfall...," he whispered quietly to himself.

The group shot each other wide-eyed glances. Had Frog been there or had he just heard the legend, like they had...? Suddenly, the knight raised his head, looking to them questioningly. "To what end didst thou search for the sword...? Why...?"

Lucca had the answer rehearsed. "To defeat Magus, putting it simply."

Frog regarded them silently, his expression guarded once more. "To defeat Magus...," he said finally, his voice quiet, "'tis impossible..." Hesitantly, he turned around and walked over to one of the wooden chests under the porous wall. "'Tis said that Masamune hast the power to cut down his wickedness, but...," he opened the chest, retrieving an elongated object, "...'twas neigh more than a legend." In his hands rested the red hilt they had seen in the Denadoro Mountains, attached to a few inches of a broken blade.

"So you _do_ have it!" Marle exclaimed, "Alright!"

"Aye," Frog nodded dully, looking down to the wrecked blade in his gloved hands. "I hath it. 'Tis but a symbol of a shatter'd hope now, of a life cutst short."

Lucca fixed her glasses pensively. Magus had broken the sword, they knew that much. But it seemed that Frog knew more on the subject. His amphibian face was hard to read, but the tone of his voice spoke volumes. "You... have some personal history with Magus, right?" she ventured cautiously.

Frog did not reply. He stood silently, his eyes cast low onto the sword. "There's nary a thing I canst do against Magus. Not a soul remains to mend'eth the Masamune." With a heavy sigh, he placed the broken hilt on the table. "And even if the sword hadst been whole, I... I hath no right to wield it."

The group watched him quietly, all unsure what to say. Something was weighting heavily on his heart, but he did not seem willing to share his burden with them and all felt it would've been inappropriate to pry directly.

Sighing too, Marle sat down at the table next to Lucca. "Are you sure it cannot be repaired though?" she asked Frog.

The short knight shook his head. "I know not what hand and power captur'd the magicks of the sword, and nor dost I know of a sword maker able to reforge it."

Lucca frowned pensively, watching the red hilt resting within the circle of the candlelight. Was it really impossible to mend the sword? Masa and Mune, the inexplicable spirits of the sword whose nature she preferred not to ponder at the moment, acted as if it could be fixed, and as if it was their group in particular who could do it. Her frown deepening, she pulled the broken sword closer to herself for a detailed inspection.

"There's something written here," she informed her companions, scraping off some of the dirt at the base of the hilt, "engraved with archaic letters."

Marle and Crono peered over her shoulders, watching her trace her finger over the ancient looking symbols.

"Couldst it be the name of the maker?" Frog stipulated.

"Hmm, maybe," Lucca replied, bringing her face an inch away from the sword. "I think I can read it, even though the letters are really ancient..." Slowly, she spelled the name engraved onto the blade. "Me...l..chi...or... Melchior!"

The group looked to each other in befuddlement. "Melchior...?" Marle repeated incredulously. "As in Melchior from Medina...? But... how is that possible? Didn't you just day that the letters were ancient?"

"Thou knowest the maker of the sword...?" Frog asked, his expression unreadable.

Lucca pushed up her glasses. "We know _a_ swordsmaker named Melchior, but..." Frowning once more, she regarded Frog carefully, as he stood in front of her behind the table. She was about to say that the Melchior they knew was from 1000 A.D., but Frog knew nothing about their time-traveling. Just as they were too polite to ask him about his relation to Magus, he had been too polite to question them when they had first met. But there was no harm in telling him their story, to the contrary, they might learn worthwhile information in return.

"Frog," she said, glancing meaningfully to her companions, "there's something we need to tell you and you better sit down for it."

Frog's yellow eyes blinked curiously, but he obliged and sat down at the table. Lucca, with eager help from Marle, launched into the explanations, trying to make it as plausible as possible. To his credit, Frog took the news with composure and poise. The sight of the Gate Key convinced fully him that they were speaking the truth. Once he accepted their unusual origin, they proceeded to tell him why exactly they were after Magus. He listened in silence to what gruesome future awaited the world if Magus was allowed to create Lavos.

"To take the lives of millions...," he said bitterly, turning his head away once they were done. "Is there naught he holdeth holy...? Naught he holdeth dear...?"

They sat wordlessly around the flickering candle, allowing him to gather his thoughts after hearing such gloomy news. He seemed to weigh something carefully in his mind, until he turned to them inquiringly. "And thou sayest Masamune couldst be repaired...?"

"Hard to say, really," Lucca replied, shrugging lightly. "We would have to go see Melchior, but... going back to the Gate and then back here again would take at least eight days, if not more. And we have already spent five days on pursuing the sword."

Frog shook his head. "Without the Masamune, thou hath neigh a chance against Magus. His magicks...," he hesitated, turning his head away from them. "...'tis just impossible to overcome him without the help of the sword."

Crono and Marle turned to Lucca questioningly and she frowned, propping her chin on her hands. The flame of the candle flickered idly as she evaluated the new situation. They seemed to be caught between the Scylla of being too slow to stop Magus and the Charybdis of being too weak to defeat him. She wasn't as sure as she had been that Magus never existed, but that _somebody_ named Magus existed didn't necessarily entail that he was a powerful warlock. Yet instantly, memories of the undead and of the odd spirits of the sword wafted uninvited into her mind and she grimaced in displeasure. All right, so there were things here that didn't easily yield to reason. In which case, the bottom-line of their situation was that on one hand they risked failure but on the other waited failure _and_ their own demise. And demise was something she most definitely didn't wish to include in the itinerary of their bizarre adventure.

"Fine," she sighed finally, pushing her glasses up, "let's go see Melchior. Although you do realize that we'll have to go through the cupboard again, right?"

Crono and Marle chuckled at the memory. "Maybe we should get a few gift cups for the Imps or something?" Marle suggested frivolously and got up from her chair, stretching. "So, we're off again?"

Frog, who had been watching the group pensively, cut in. "The night is near upon the forest, thou shouldst not attempt to cross it after dark. Remain'eth here for the night."

"Good point," Crono nodded, "we got lost even during the day."

Under the weight of the circumstance, the party agreed to spend the night in Frog's odd abode. Their host treated them to a surprisingly tasty dinner and tea, but barely spoke throughout the evening. When the night came, he generously offered them his bed and Marle and Lucca made themselves comfortable on the grassy cot, while Crono once more consented to the floor. Even as they were falling asleep, Frog remained seated at the table, watching the dying flame of the candle. They didn't know what thoughts circled his mind, nor what past linked him to the Masamune and Magus, but all instinctively felt that those questions should be left unasked.

Frog remained at the table long after his three astonishing guests had fallen asleep and long after the candle burnt out. Cyrus..., he thought, his fingers stroking the Hero Medal, its engraved surface as cold as a harsh rebuttal. Honor was what the medal stood for, honor was what he had once believed in, what he strived to be, what he admired. What honor had he left now, what worth? A life that was not his own, full of lies and secrets, years and value taken from him in but one fateful moment.

In the shadows of the hovel that had once been his only refuge, a pale face loomed before him, narrow eyes as red as blood sneered at him, eyes forever burnt onto his memory. _Magus..._ 'What's the matter?' a mocking voice asked him from the shadows, 'Aren't you going to try your luck?'

His hands tightened around the medal. He hadn't. Not then and not during the years that had passed since. Was he too ashamed...? Too torn to avenge his dearest friend...? Or was he just afraid...?

Yes, he admitted to himself tiredly, he had been afraid then, petrified to the end of his wits. Even anguish and loss weren't enough overcome the dread the mage left in his wake. They hadn't known then, had no idea what horror they would find, what immovable power. Wearily, he glanced to the three young ones sleeping nearby. They didn't know either. They sought to stop Magus, yet just had no idea what they would have to face. But... Lavos, he thought, his eyes returning to the bronze medal. Those children were not pursuing revenge or personal gain. They wanted to save a future that they would never see come to pass. Was that not honor? Was that not value?

His jaw clenched. _Magus..._ Like a nightmare the mage had haunted his thoughts for years, returning to taunt him every day and every night. But the mage's wickedness and past sins were nothing in comparison to the horror he was about to inflict upon the world. No, not just to avenge, but to save those who couldn't save themselves, the mage had to be stopped. Had to be killed.

When the morning came and the three unique travelers awoke, he faced them somberly, his mind made up. "If thou permitst it," he spoke, "I shall go with thee and aid thee against Magus."

They were curious to hear the story behind his decision, the story of his past, he knew that, but wasn't ready to share it with anyone. Perhaps later, perhaps if they succeeded in repairing the Masamune. But they didn't ask and only agreed to his offer.

Once they were ready, he led them out of the cursed forest, cursed with memories of the past, of a life lost and of a hope forgotten.

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"Move yer arses, ya willies!" Mad Ronah hollered at his workers, giving one a swift kick on the behind. The abused laborer shot the captain a dark glance and trudged on, carrying a heavy crate up the ramp and onto the ship. Around him, the rest of the crew scuttled about under the morning sun, completing any last minute tasks before sailing out.

The ship, christened simply The Lady by her captain, Mad Ronah, stood anchored at the pier in Porre, ready to spring out onto the waves. It was a spunky two-masted and gaff rigged schooner, small and nimble, and somehow looking as crazy as her captain. Mad Ronah was a brawny man with wild top of brown curly hair and a surprisingly well-kempt moustache and small beard. The numerous round earrings along the lines of his ears further emphasized his image of a wild 'sea dog'. He was notorious for accepting any mission, no matter how life-threatening or plain insane. It was this propensity for insanity that earned him the nickname 'Mad Ronah', although he himself preferred to be called 'Mad _Captain_ Ronah', thank you very much.

His infamous reputation was also the reason why the party of – as of now – four time-travelers were currently standing on the pier, under a sky full of seagulls and in front of The Lady. As they had left the Cursed Woods, Frog told them that perhaps traveling to Truce by sea would be faster and easier, especially since they would not have to plough through the Zenan Bridge again. The problem with the idea, and generally with sailing to Truce during the Mystic War was – as Frog further told them – that the only sea route led right next to Magus' island.

That was how they found out that Frog knew well which island it was. It seemed to be common knowledge around Porre, albeit completely useless knowledge. The island – very appropriately known as Devil's Mane – was surrounded by rocky cliffs and was thus inaccessible. Although of course nobody was mad enough to go anywhere near it anyway. ...Except for Mad Ronah, at least as far as the folk word went. Deciding to take the chance and seek out the insane captain, they traipsed through the countryside and reached Porre late evening two days later.

Despite being still medieval, Porre was already an impressively large and populated settlement. The hallmarks of war were visible – soldiers dotted the streets, armor and weapons were offered in every shop and every man between the ages of fourteen to fifty had been in this or another way drafted. But the town didn't look in any way damaged or under siege and Lucca couldn't help but wonder about the Mystics' strategy. As her father had told them, Magus had been first known for destroying two villages – the second of the events was generally known as the Massacre of Veste – and yet now the Mystics seemed to be sparing villages as such, and appeared to only go after armed resistance. So either there was some yet unseen logic in it, or evil minds were just too twisted to understand.

After gaining word here and there around the town, they learnt that Mad Ronah was to be found in the Scallywag Tavern. The establishment, located near the port, was rather shady and filled with jolly sounds of accordion and drunken singing, but their luck still held. When they found Mad Ronah, it turned out that he had just been hired by an eager merchant to sail to Truce on the morrow, a mission he didn't object to in the slightest. And when they suggested that he take them along, the infamous captain eyed them taxingly up and down. He didn't bat an eyelash at Frog or their grime-covered clothes; lingered a little longer around Marle's bust, making the Princess blush somewhat, and indifferently took in their mismatched armor and weapons. Finally, he flashed them a sassy grin and named the sum of money the favor would cost them. It was much, but not too much, especially since it included the journey back, after just a day's respite in Truce.

And so, after spending the night in the tavern – the sleeping rooms were usually used for an activity other than sleep, but they pretended not to know about it – the future slayers of Magus were now eyeing the white sails of The Lady.

"Ah, so ya didn't chicken out, huh?" Mad Ronah laughed bluntly as he noticed them. "My kinda people! Young and reckless! Then onboard ya go and we'll be off in a jiffy!"

Heaving a few sighs and assuring themselves that Mad Ronah surely knew what he was doing, since he was in mid thirties and still alive, the party climbed up the ramp. The journey was to take two or three days, depending on the weather, and they had been assigned a small cabin to sleep in. It had only two wooden bunks and two hammocks, but it was opulence to them at the moment.

Sighing, Marle plopped down on one of the bunks. "Lucca, when we're in Truce, could we stop by your house? I _really_ need a bath!" She fingered a strand of her blond her. It was greasy, matted and mud clumps were stuck in between hairs. 'Need' was nowhere near the word!

"Sure," Lucca replied, dumping her bag onto the bunk under the porthole. "I could use a long soak myself. And plus, we could cadge some money off my dad, we're pretty near the bottom of the satchel now, right Crono?"

The spiky-haired boy nodded in agreement. They were down to a hundred or so Gil, barely enough for a night or two at an Inn.

Marle sighed again, leaning back on the bunk. It was yet another new thing she had learnt during the journey – that money was not always there. It was the first time really she had ever _needed_ money. Before, everything just... was there for her. But, she frowned, it was better this way. True, she had already learnt that books omitted a lot of what adventuring entailed, all the mundanity of life for example, having to pee behind bushes included, but... At least now she had the chance to learn of the world on her own, to see what life was all about for a normal person, not for a Princess. And yet...

No, she still hadn't forgiven father for the way he treated Crono but... he was still her father, her only family. She had been gone for over a week now. Had he noticed her absence? Not the absence of the sole heiress to the throne, but the absence of _her_, his daughter whom he used to check up on at night when she was little...? Lying back on the bunk, she bit on her lip slightly. Maybe he _did_ notice, maybe after their adventure was over he would have learnt to pay more attention to her? Maybe time would just sort things out...?

But if life was to be judged by omens, her luck was down and out. Not long after The Lady left Porre, Marle learnt that she was not cut out to be a sailor. Her stomach rebelled violently against the wild swaying of the ship and she was soon reduced to hanging limply over the railing on the deck, saying goodbye to her breakfast as it arched down into the waves. And having to endure a lot of jokes about 'land-lovers' and 'belly-rats' from the crew, who were just as cheeky and mad as their captain.

The weather too was not in her favor. As Mad Ronah told them, the winds were just right, so they should make it to Truce in but two days. But what was good for their journey, was highly unfavorable for her. The Lady kept bobbing up and down on the mighty waves, like a girl playing jump rope, and she had to stay out on the deck even long after the evening become the night. Her friends kept her company, much to her gratitude. Crono had been the most helpful, brining her tea when they had dinner and trying to cheer her up with random jokes. Lucca sat on the deck against the board, reading her book and looking as if she wasn't even aware of the swaying. Frog stood nearby, watching the sea with the same indomitable look he had on the morning he had joined them.

"Captain Ronah," he said suddenly, when Mad Ronah was passing by, "'tis be Devil's Mane?" He pointing to the dark horizon and his companions perked up their ears at the mention of Magus' island. Lucca got up to peer over the railing and even Marle lifted her limp head. They had been lounging against the starboard, and now, not far ahead, they could see a rocky island jutting sharply out of the sea. Under the pale light of the moon and the star-strewn night sky, the island looked foreboding and sinister. The rocky shores climbed high towards the dark skies, jagged and sharp. Waves crashed against them with brutal force, spraying back into the sea in high cascades.

"Aye," Mad Ronah agreed, nodding. "the son of a devil picked one hell of an island for his hideout. Any ship trying to get near will get crushed on the rocks. Mighty fine choice, I say."

Lucca pushed up her glasses, turning to the captain. "You're not afraid of Magus?" It would be a first since they had gotten to the Middle Ages.

Mad Ronah shrugged indifferently. "I don't have a bone to pick with 'em Mystics. Leave 'em alone and they leave me alone. I've seen strange lights over the island a few times but that'd be about it. Don't ya go and tell anyone about it though," he flashed them a grin, "I get paid a load extra just for being 'mad' enough to sail through here. So we always feed the townsfolk some wild stories about 'em vicious Mystics."

A few crew members snickered around them, jeering at those superstitious enough to fall for their contrivance. Mad Ronah joined the jokes and left the group in their own company. Somewhat amused herself, Lucca turned her eyes back to the island. Yes, those who were too scared to sail by an island just because it was an 'evil lair' of a mage deserved to be ripped off. But as she watched the jagged shores, a sudden logical dissonance struck her.

"If no ship can approach the shores, then how do they get off an on the island...?" she asked nobody in particular, frowning.

"Under the sea," Frog replied, from where he stood watching Magus' lair, his cape billowed out by the powerful winds. "There be a passage from the Chantas Mountains on the eastern shore of Zenan."

Must be quite inconvenient, Lucca thought without any particular empathy for the occupants of the island. Devil's Mane was not that far off from Zenan, but it still had to be quite a trek. One they would have to take themselves, the sooner the better. As she watched the island that looked as if it had been taken straight from a gothic story, she had to admit she was curious what they would find there. How _did_ evil mages live? It would be undoubtedly quite funny if they found a quaint cottage with a rocking chair and reading glasses on the table.

Next to her, Crono patted Marle's back compassionately as the Princess retched loudly again, clearly not caring whether dark mages wore bunny slippers and read the Sunday News after a busy day of plotting nefarious schemes.

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A/N: Ehm, it's a rather odd chapter, as those who have suffered through it undoubtedly noticed. One, I changed some things, like Frog joining the party earlier, just for fun and convenience. Two, I got carried away with adding original details, as happens to me almost all the time... o.0 And three, the chat with Frog is IMO rather poorly written, but I'm too pressed for time to spend hours editing it.

And yes, I didn't make it with the non-Magus stuff here, so the next chapter will cover all that. I doubt I'll get to the Magus' Castle part in it, even if I cut a lot out, because I'd rather keep the castle part and the battle in one chapter, and it will undoubtedly take up some space...


	9. Chapter 09

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews: **As ever, thank you all who have spent your time on reviewing! I must say I'm really surprised that the fic has passed 50 reviews (and 1200 views! 0.0) – I never expected it to get more than 20-30! So thanks again:)

**Shaded Mazoku: **Thank you and I agree on all accounts. Although I guess to make it really realistic, the journey south Zenan would have to take a month or so. But I'll make up for it by making Zenan be a small continent and adding a new one later on ;) And I really can't wait to write some Magus, argh, such a long intro!

**Indigo Tantarian:** Thank you! I can't really see what's wrong with long chapters, expect maybe the structuring of the story, but I make them so not to stretch out the reader's patience too much o.0 And lol, any review is a good review!

**GoldenSunGeek: **Thank you! I made Frog join early so that he could use magic (otherwise they'd have to travel to the End of Time TWICE, grrr...), but I tried to keep him away from the story for now. And hahaha, glad you like the Robo clone! ;) Thanks again!

**ShadowCatYumi08: **Hahaha, thank you and oh, yes, there will be more, maybe even two follow-up fics ;)

**zipis1:** Hahaha, thank you and I agree wholeheartedly – finally, the Magus' castle part is next! If only I could somehow cut out the Lavos descent part and go straight to Zeal from there! And thanks for mentioning the specific parts you liked – I like that kind of reviews the most:D

**ladyvella42:** Thank you very much! I try to make the story more appealing by adding some ponderings (aka rumblings), so that it wouldn't be just a dry retelling of a story everybody knows anyway and hence I'm very glad to hear that it's liked! It does take hours to write this fic, mostly because I have to keep to an already planned plot and include all key events, brrr... But it's a great exercise for my still newbie writing skills, so it's worth the effort. And thanks again for mass-reviewing:)

**The Dragon Sorceress:** Hahaha, thank you! It's funny, but I too have imagined the Imps doing synchronized dancing and singing. More specifically, to the song of 'Welcome to Duloc' from _Shrek_... "Wipe your... face!" Same thing in their case, cough. I wish I could somehow incorporate it into the fic, but I probably won't be able to pull it off while keeping Magus even remotely serious. And thanks again for reviewing!

**David Morris:** Thank you for reviewing! I can't really talk about FFVI, since I haven't played it yet (I'm really behind schedule as it seems...) but _Chrono Trigger_ is without a doubt near the top of the best RPGs ever. I especially appreciate its lack of cheap sentimentality and forced relationships (vide FFVII and FFVIII. Or Grandia, for that matter), it proves that 'less is more' when it comes to such things and makes up fully for the technical or system shortcomings. It does indeed take a brave writer to attempt novelization and I must admit upfront that I'm still very inexperienced at writing, so I'm open for all criticism and suggestions!

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_Chapter 09 – Strong! Good!_

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Something was wrong. Something was definitely not right. Ah, Lucca sighed, there was no ground under their feet, that's what.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

She tumbled down the grassy slope, desperately trying to keep the glasses up her nose. Odd, she noted idly while the world turned upside down and back before her eyes. When they were leaving Medina and then the End of Time, it had been late night while here, in this new time, it was only late afternoon. Her biological clock groaned in mild protest, joining the complaints of her tumbling body. Great, another day that lasted 30 hours. And on top of that, they were still grimy and smelly!

But time was against them, so sanitation had to wait once more. After two days spent on The Lady, they had reached Truce in the afternoon. Mad Ronah said that they must have luck on their side, because that was the fastest he had made it to Truce ever. However, the initial arrangements for the cruise back still held, so they had two nights and one day before The Lady would sail out again. Wanting to use the allotted time to the fullest, they rushed to the Truce Canyon, then to the End of Time and then to Medina Village, 1000 A.D., on the way leaving Frog under Spekkio's care.

The medieval knight had been rather dazed when he had first learnt that not only they could use magic, but that quite likely so could he. But soon his determination took over once more and he held up quite well during his first journey through a Gate, remaining composed even upon reaching the odd platform floating in the sea of nothingness. He quickly grasped what they had grasped before too – that their inexplicable ability to use magic, given to them inexplicably by the inexplicable white fluff ball called Spekkio could be just the thing to give them the edge over Magus. Fortunately, it turned out that Spekkio could – and did – awaken magic in Frog, and they had agreed for the medieval knight to stay there and practice his new abilities of water magic, while they paid a visit to Melchior.

But when they traveled through the Mystic cupboard – this time breaking no cups – and reached Melchior's hut, the luck finally trotted away from them. Melchior easily recognized the sword when Crono unrolled it from the protective cloth, and his eyes grew as wide as Frog's had been.

"Th, the Masamune," he whispered, astounded. "How did you get it...?"

The group glanced to each other, just as astounded that he indeed had some relation to the magical sword. "Are you the one who forged it...?" Marle ventured finally.

For a long while, Melchior didn't reply. Walking over to Crono, he reached out one wrinkled hand and gently stroked the blade, deep in thought. They stood quietly around him, in the middle of his cozy living room, waiting patiently. "Yes," he said finally, "I'm the one who forged it."

Lucca pushed her glasses up, her eyes narrowing slightly. Unbeknownst to Melchior, they had obtained the sword in 600 A.D., that is four hundred years before the current date. So Melchior had forged the sword that existed centuries before him. There were only two ways to explain the seemingly impossible facts. One, Melchior just lied to them, or...

"You're not from this time, are you...?" she asked quietly.

Melchior's eyes rose to her, guarded behind his glasses. Once more, he remained silent for a long time, turning away from them.

"It doesn't matter now," he said finally, his voice low, "what matters is that the sword cannot be repaired."

"Eh?" Marle's eyes widened. "What do you mean it cannot be repaired? You made it, then surely, you can repair it!"

Melchior sighed, half-turning to them. "Masamune is made of Dreamstone, a red rock of unique properties that had once, long ago, been used as money. But now... it's just simply unavailable."

'Long ago', he said. 'Primitive', Marle had said when looking through the only time warp they had not visited yet, one of the original three at the End of Time. The natural conclusion to take the chance and see if the Gate would take them back in time enough to find Dreamstone was only further confirmed when they got back to the End of Time. Reaching the surreal street corner, they found Frog to be asleep on the stone floor. The odd old man was for once not sleeping himself, but rather, was stoically smoking a pipe and watching the darkness stretched out before him, as if he could see something they could not. Noticing their arrival, he informed them that their medieval friend had exhausted himself while practicing magic and that only a bag full of ethers would rouse him now. They had no complaints about it; the more Frog practiced, the stronger his magic and magical defenses would be, and thus, the greater their chances against Magus.

As they stood next to the overcome knight, Marle knitted her light-colored eyebrows, turning to the odd, lamppost-loving old man. "Do you know by any chance where does that Gate lead to? The one on the left." She pointed towards the platform to the side, where the Gates shone bluishly.

"Sure I do," the old man replied serenely. "To the prehistoric era."

"The prehistoric era...?" Marle repeated slowly.

"How prehistoric?" Lucca asked curiously. "I mean how far back into the past would it take us?"

The old man took the pipe out of his mouth. "Sixty five million years!" he announced poignantly, poking the pipe into the air.

The group felt their jaws go slightly slack. "Sixty... five... million...?" Crono repeated weakly.

The old man nodded readily. "Give a take a few years. Or a few thousand years. It's quite a nice place, from what I know. Sunny weather and untouched tropical forests. Great for a holiday."

Lucca felt a sudden need to rub her temples. The old man was quite an easy-going fellow, but they were denied the same peace of mind. Unless they hurried, The Lady would leave Truce without them and they'd have to trek around through Zenan Bridge again. "And do you know if we could find Dreamstone there?"

"Dreamstone?" the old man repeated, glancing to them candidly, "Sure, it's a rare material but you can find it in the prehistoric era."

And that was how they found themselves in their current position, that is tumbling down a prehistoric hill, amidst a prehistoric afternoon. The Gate leading there was even more inconveniently positioned than the one in the Imp cupboard – right over a steep rocky slope. The same slope they were tumbling down now, after learning that gravity be a harsh mistress.

In the accompaniment of a pained groan, Lucca's mad tumble down came to an end, and she landed on something surprisingly soft.

"Ouch...," complained the squishy surface, in an oddly muffled voice.

"Oh, sorry, Crono!" Finally letting go of her glasses, she lifted herself off her friend, who was currently kissing the dirt.

Next to them, Marle was dusting off her pants, but her movements were gradually slowing. "Um, guys...?" she called out, her eyes fixed on something ahead, "I think we have a problem..."

Lucca pushed up her glasses and Crono pushed himself off the ground. Both followed Marle's line of sight and found themselves faced with a multitude of creatures the likes of which they had never seen before. Green, scaly and overly muscular, they remotely resembled lizards, but unlike lizards, were as tall as them, wore brown loincloths and had _very_ sharp teeth and ferocious expressions. Hastily, the party reached for their weapons, readying themselves for the seemingly imminent combat.

But before either side could attack, a new fighter appeared. From the top of a tall rocky hill nearby a woman jumped right in the midst of the green creatures, attacking them at once with brutal fierceness. She was no ordinary woman, that much was clear. Just one punch of hers sent any of the undeniably massive creatures flying back and they watched with wide eyes how in but a minute she put her opponents to the rout. As the strange creatures ran, she turned to them fully, as if not having done anything out of the ordinary, and they could get a better look at their savior.

The most noticeable thing was that the woman – or maybe rather girl – was indisputably a babe. Blond wavy hair, almond blue eyes and flawless figure included. In height, she stood above any of them. Lucca and Marle weren't particularly tall, while Crono – who liked to describe himself as a late bloomer – was but a 3 inches or so taller. The woman before them was half a head taller than Crono. She was dressed in what looked like a prehistoric bikini made of fur and thus her body was on full display. It was muscled yet nimble, powerful but graceful. The few scars on her tanned skin and a necklace made of pebbles and claws completed the image of a warrior princess.

She was looking them over carefully and the commanding air of authority surrounding her made them stand still for the inspection. Finally, she walked closer to them, her eyes focused on Crono.

"You strong," she said, tilting her head appreciatively. "What name?"

"C... Crono," the spiky-haired boy replied. She spoke brusquely and with an obvious disregard for function words and grammar, but the message was clear.

"Crono, huh?" A spunky glint appeared in her blue eyes. "Me, Ayla. Ayla like strong people."

Lucca inclined her head to Crono. "I think she likes you..." The statement was followed by a narrowing of eyes from Marle and an uncomfortable shift from Crono. How was that his fault exactly...?

But Ayla, who apparently captured the supposition, waved a strong hand dismissively. "Strong people good. Ayla respect all strong people. Men and women." Ah, a dedicated cavema... caveperson then, Lucca summed up, pushing her glasses up.

The said caveperson frowned pensively. "Ayla no see you before. Where from?"

Lucca frowned too. Now that was a 65 million point question. There was no possible way a story incorporating time warps and Ends of Time would make it through here. Tentatively, she tried a different approach. "We're from way after the day after tomorrow."

The blonde warrior girl raised an eyebrow and then burst out laughing, throwing her head back. "You funny! Ayla like funny people. Come to village! We eat, drink, good time!" She turned to leave, gesturing for them to follow with an authoritative flick of her hand. Clearly, she was used to being obeyed.

"We'd love to," Crono replied, earning him another scolding glance from Marle, "but we've got to look for Dreamstone."

"Stone?" the blonde turned to them again and then waved their objections aside. "Plenty stones! Here, there, at village. You take plenty! Come!"

Lucca dusted herself off and picked up her bag from where it had rolled down the cliff after her. "We might just as well. Maybe they do have Dreamstone in her village. And it wouldn't hurt to have a guide around the prehistoric era." Crono nodded in agreement, while Marle looked like she was going to object but changed her mind and closed her mouth.

Lucca chuckled inwardly as they were catching up with Ayla. It was obvious what went through Marle's head. On one hand, she objected to Ayla's expressed interest in Crono, however innocent, but on the other couldn't say anything about it directly, since her relationship with Crono was not in a stage advanced enough for direct proclamations. Lucca shook her head. It was clear that there was mutual interest between Marle and Crono, but in her opinion those two were playing a dangerous game. Marle was going to be Marle only till the end of their adventure and then it would be back to Princess Nadia and royal etiquette for her. The chances for a lasting relationship in such circumstances were minimal, even if those two weren't thinking about it at the moment. But what would be, would be, there was no use in thinking about it now and it was hardly her business anyway.

Ayla led them out of the rocky canyon they had landed in and towards the village nearby, surrounded by a palisade and full of huts that Marle had once described as primitive. They did indeed look primitive, like large cones made of animal hide. There was surprisingly many of them, as if the inhabitants opted to huddle together against any possible enemies. Entering the village, they soon learnt two things. One, Ayla was the chief of the village, which fully explained her authoritative manner. Two, there was going to be a large party that night, in celebration of the end of the rain season.

Oh, and three, they were the guests of honor. The moment they passed the palisade, they became the center of attention. The inhabitants of the village, all dressed in skimpy clothes similar to Ayla's, began crowding around them, touching their clothes and weapons. 'You strange', 'Wear odd skins' and 'Funny eye thing' sampled the numerous comments they received. Numerous questions also followed; 'Where from?', 'What it do?' or 'You trade?'.

They got so caught up in being the center of attention that before they knew it the skies darkened and the crowd carried them towards the large meeting site in the middle of the village, a prehistoric equivalent of a square as it seemed. A large fire blazed in the middle, sending embers up into the night, low stone tables held various odd dishes, wooden benches made of halved tree trunks offered reprieve. Many of the inhabitants were already there, laughing and drinking; some preparing leather drums and odd wooden instruments. Children ran among the legs of the adults, chasing sparks and furry prehistoric pets.

On a raised podium in the back stood Ayla and the crowd pushed them onto it to join her.

"Listen all!" The blond shouted, raising her arms. The crowd hushed at once, looking up to their leader. "New friends here!" she gestured to the group. "Strong man, Crono! Friends of Crono, Marle, Lucca!"

"Unga!" the crowd replied, shaking their own arms and grinning broadly.

Ayla swept a hand again, a playful gleam in her eyes. "Now, we dance!" Immediately, the drums and other instruments erupted into a cacophony that oddly resembled the music from the prehistoric concert at the Millennial Fair. Furry skirts and loincloths began shaking merrily around the fire, cheerful voices soared the night air. The party quickly rolled onto its full swing.

Well, that's nice and all, Lucca thought, pushing her glasses up, but they were here on business. Not to mention that they had left Frog at the End of Time.

"Pretty girl want poi?" a male voice asked somewhere behind her while she kept her eyes on the rest of the group. Crono and Marle were talking to Ayla and it seemed that the subject was more than right.

"Rare, red rock sign of power. Ayla strongest in Ioka Village. So Ayla's rock!" the blond warrior grinned. "You want, you challenge Ayla! You win, then Ayla give to you."

"Poi good," the male voice behind her persisted. "Pretty girl drink!"

Frowning, Lucca turned around and found herself faced with a prehistoric male specimen beaming invitingly at her and holding a bowl full of slightly greenish liquid. 'Pretty girl...'? Being placed on that side of the attractiveness frontier would be surprising under normal circumstances, but at the moment it was plain ridiculous. She was still dirty, sweaty and smelly. Her clothes had seen better days, no, better decades, her hair was sticking out from under her helmet in greasy strands and every visible part of her skin was covered in cuts, bruises and dark smudges.

But when the male's eyes slid down her body and he grinned appreciatively, hanging his eyes on her hips, the picture suddenly became clear. That's right, the modern standards of beauty required a woman to be a near stick, but a caveman saw things from a different perspective. Broad hips equaled good maternal potential and a certain amount of plump equaled good status. And she happened to have both. Well, without any coarse excess, but in comparison to Marle, who was as aerial as a sylphid, she was a downright block.

Glancing back, she noted that Crono was working hard towards obtaining Dreamstone. The 'challenge' Ayla mentioned had little to do with fighting as it seemed, but rather, was a soup guzzling contest. So now Crono and Ayla were seated on the podium, guzzling soup from wooden bowls like there was no tomorrow, while two assistants to the peculiar challenge waited to refill their bowls, grinning. Marle was hovering above Crono, using the pretext of cheering on him to 'protect' him from any potential illicit actions of the blond cavewoman.

Assured that things were in perfect order, she turned back to her prehistoric suitor. Hmmm, he wasn't that bad himself. Blond, tanned, built and still offering her 'poi', whatever it was. Oh, what the hell.

"Thank you, 'pretty girl' will indeed have some poi," she said, accepting the bowl. The caveman grinned at her meaningfully, probably already envisioning hordes of screaming brats popping out of her flaring hips. That was not on her agenda for the nearest future – or any future for that matter – but some adoration was always welcomed. She had given up on trying to be a 'pretty girl' years ago, firmly deciding that it took up far more time than she'd ever be willing to allot to such a meaningless activity, but vanity ran deep in ever human's heart. And damned if she didn't like having her ego stroked.

Unsurprisingly, poi turned out to be an alcoholic beverage, but despite its odd greenish shade and suspicious consistency, it proved tasty and smooth on the throat. And her suitor, named Tano as it turned out, proved quite a conversationalist, despite his horrendous disregard for grammar. Soon, she learnt that the creatures Ayla had trounced were called Reptites and were sworn enemies of all humans. If she had properly stitched together Tano's odd speech and primitive notions, then the Reptites were more technologically and civilizationally advanced than the humans. That was a peculiar idea. 65 million years was a long time, yes, but the fact remained that in 1000 A.D. there would be no trace left of any Reptites, while humans would be thriving.

Even more peculiar was the discovery that there were no Mystics in these times, at least not to Tano's knowledge. Nor did he have any idea what 'magic' meant. Not in the same way as people of 1000 A.D., who knew of magic, but just didn't have it. He just had absolutely no connotations with the word 'magic'.

It was a fact that deserved further investigation and interest, but unfortunately poi turned out to be a rather strong drink and Lucca's thoughts soon began flouncing about, unwilling to focus on one issue in particular. Alcohol was generally beneficial to her thought process, freeing it from any artificial constraints, but only in limited doses. Four cups of poi proved to be way too much and thus the issue was shelved and the scientist plunged into the world of simple, albeit drunken, pleasures.

Behind her, the rest of the attendants of the party enjoyed similar freedoms. Crono had won the Dreamstone from Ayla and to celebrate, Marle made him join the dancing around the fire. They were jumping around wildly, shaking their respective behinds and making odd guttural sounds, which seemed to be the proper custom in Ioka Village. Ayla sat at the podium, laughing at their antics and rubbing the bloated muscles of her soup filled stomach.

Only one person looked as if he'd rather were somewhere else. A blond boy around their age, lithe and compact, was standing in the shadows, under a tree nearby, watching Ayla and occasionally Crono with a distinctive pout on his admittedly handsome face.

"That Kino," Tano informed her when she asked. "He like Ayla. He weak and think Ayla no like him."

Ah, Lucca pushed up her glasses, the full understanding of Kino's situation hitting her along with a wave of poi giddiness. He should form a party with Marle then. Crono and Ayla be a no-no! That would make a catchy phrase. But from the looks of it, Ayla told them the truth and her respect for strength was not related to an interest in the individual wielding it. She made no advances towards Crono and was currently ignoring him completely in favor of having an animated chat with some men from the village, about hunting if her gesticulation was a proper indication of the topic.

Among such activities – and three more cups of poi – the party raged on until the details blurred in Lucca's mind. Next thing she knew, she was curled up on the ground and somebody was shaking her shoulder. Go away, she told the offender mentally, trying to piece her mind together. It seemed that the party had moved into her brain and that every brain cell was doing the oooga-boooga dance. Plus, the sun was too bright even with her eyes closed, some annoying birds were hosting an opera in the trees nearby and her stomach was practicing flip-flops.

"Made some new 'friends' at the party...?" a familiar voice leered above her. Lucca cracked a reluctant eye open. Crono was hunched over her, a suggestive grin on his face. He was obviously alluding to how at the party celebrating the end of school a few months ago she drank a few too many and made out with Toby Cavendish, the president of the chess club. Not that a few disappointing kisses could really classify as making out.

"Liar," she replied indignantly, sitting up with a pained grunt. "I was a perfect lady last night!" The ungainly burp that escaped her along with the statement was not exactly the best support for her case though.

Crono let out a chuckle and moved to wake up Marle. Lucca squinted her eyes painfully, taking a look around the aftermath of the party. A few villagers had like them fallen under the weight of fun and were now slumbering around the square. One was sprawled out on a stone table, among the remnants of the exotic food, snoring shamelessly. The sight of the stale food – and especially of an overturned poi cup – made her stomach recoil in protest and she suppressed another burp, rubbing her tummy comfortingly. Almost instantly she felt that something was wrong. _Very_ wrong. The wrongest.

"It's gone!" she jumped up on her feet abruptly, ignoring the wild spin of her head. "The Gate Key! It's gone from my pocket! We've been robbed!"

Marle, who had just been woken by Crono, looked to her with wide eyes. "But don't we need it to go back to our times...?"

"More than you know!" Lucca replied, pushing her very smudged glasses up. "Without it we're stuck here forever!"

Marle's eyes grew even wider. "But who could've taken it...? And why?"

Crono got up, reaching out to help Marle up too. "If it was some curious villager, then we best ask Ayla for help. She's the chief."

Lucca nodded vigorously, although the action made the world blur in her eyes. Ugh, way too much poi...

Ayla was missing among the aftermath of the party, but one of the half-conscious men told them to look for her in her hut. It was easy to locate; the chief's hut was larger than the other huts and had a huge set of horns draped above the entrance. Behind the hanging mat of a door, they found Ayla sprawled out on a large comfy looking bedding made of animal hide, snoring away like a whole family of hogs. They approached her promptly and Marle shook the tall chieftain's shoulder. Lucca noted that sometime during last night's party, Marle must've made her peace with the blond strength-admirer and no longer saw her as a potential competition.

Ayla woke up with a huge yaw, stretching her powerful arms and sitting up on her bedding. "You up already...?" Another massive yawn followed. "Too much soup! Sleep like stone!"

"Sorry to wake you up," Marle said apologetically, "but we've been robbed! Somebody took something very important from Lucca's pocket!"

Ayla suppressed a mighty burp. "Thief...? The Reptites!" Instantly alert, she jumped up to her feet, sending her leather blanket flying. "Come, come! We ask! People see!"

She herded them out of the hut expertly and towards the few awake villagers. Lucca followed with growing difficulty. Her stomach was churning like a blender, her vision was blurry and her head was pounding. Definitely too much poi.

But at least the mystery of the missing Gate Key seemed to be explained quickly. A boy told them that he had seen Reptites run away from the Meeting Site and towards the Forest Maze. Why would some prehistoric competitors of humans be interested in the Gate Key was beyond Lucca, but she was also beyond caring at that point.

"Forest Maze not far," Ayla told them, steel ringing in her voice. "We go, we fight, we take back what they take!" She hit her hand with a fist for added emphasis while Lucca groaned painfully. Necessity and haste aside, a field trip with lots of exercise was just not sitting well with her at the moment. Fortunately, Ayla seemed to notice it.

"Lucca very pale," she said, patting the scientist on the shoulder. "Go sleep in Ayla's hut. And we go hunt some Reptities!"

Driven by a sense of obligation, Lucca was about to protest, but her usual companions noticed her weakened state too.

"Yeah," Marle agreed, "you really don't look so good, Lucca. Go have some rest while we get back the Gate Key!"

"And no more poi!" Crono grinned, pushing her gently back towards Ayla's hut. Lucca didn't oppose anymore. In her current state she'd probably be more of a burden than help, especially if she started hurling on the way.

"Yeah, I think I better stay, I feel like I've been put through ninth grade all over again. Just be sure you don't damage the Gate Key!" she told them over her shoulder, obediently trotting back towards the chief's hut. Her friends waved their temporary goodbyes at her and were swiftly on their way. Lucca found her way to Ayla's animal-hide bedding and promptly collapsed onto it. The leather was surprisingly soft and comfortable and she was asleep before she could even count to five.

How long she slept, she didn't know. To her it felt like a few minutes, but it was probably a few hours. She was awoken by her companions entering the dimly lit hut, and found that her poi-induced illness had regressed somewhat, at least to the point that she could now face the world.

"You're not gonna believe it!" Marle exclaimed, sitting down on Ayla's bed next to her. "I've learnt how to heal!"

Lucca sat up, reaching for the glasses she had deposited on the floor before. "Heal as in...?"

Marle beamed at her again. "As in we had to fight Azala, the leader of the Repitites – we got the Gate Key back, by the way – and I got a nasty cut on my leg. I touched it, trying to stop the blood and then something warm spread from my fingers. The wound disappeared at once!"

"Here," she said, reaching out to a bruise on Lucca's arm. "See for yourself."

All Lucca felt was a tingling sensation radiate from the tips of Marle's fingers, like a warm, inviting wave spreading across her skin. When Marle pulled her hand back, the bruise was gone. Lucca pushed up her glasses slowly. "Wow... that's one useful skill, Marle!" Marle beamed once more, clearly pleased with her newly found ability.

"'Ma-gick', huh?" Ayla tilted her head. "Very fun. Wish Ayla had!"

Lucca suddenly remembered her conversation with Tano on the subject of magic, or rather lack of thereof, and was about to ask Ayla for more details, but Crono's words cut in before her.

"We have the Gate Key and the Dreamstone," he fingered the slab of glimmering red mineral in his hand, having gotten it from Ayla when Lucca was either asleep, out of it or plain drunk, "so let's head back. Frog is probably crawling up the walls by now."

Lucca jumped up, her eyes widening. Frog! She had completely forgotten about him! And it had to be well into the afternoon already too! "You're more than right, Crono! And we still have to go see Melchior again!" Grateful for the lack of nausea and dizziness, she hopped out of the bedding to gather her belongings.

Marle got up too, stretching. "So it's back to the cupboard for us! A few more times and I'm gonna turn into cherry jam and biscuits!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What happened to ya, kids?" Mad Ronah asked as they clambered up the ramp, having barely made it before The Lady sailed out. "You look like you've been dragged under the keel!"

"Eh," Crono waved his hand resignedly, passing by the bearded sailor. Lucca and Frog followed after him, both as worn out as the spiky-haired boy. Not that it was surprising that they were all dead-beat, the day behind them had been horridly long, dragging and at the same time unbelievably draining. After they left the prehistoric era – Ayla cordially invited them to come over again – they traveled back to the End of Time, to find Frog gravely worried over their well-being. However, he had spent his time on more than worrying, which showed in his new abilities. After hours of training against Spekkio, Frog learned that he too, like Marle, had a knack for healing, even though his water magic was generally not too threatening. All things considered, healing could prove much more useful than any offence abilities.

Having retrieved Frog, they headed to Medina Village once more. To Frog's credit, he kept his cool and did not attack the Imps in whose cupboard they appeared, although his hand remained on the hilt of his sword at all times. For their part, the Imps were just as blasé as they were the last two times the party appeared in their home out of thin air.

"You guys gonna be coming through here often?" asked the Imp, who, as they had learnt last time, was called Mervin but preferred 'Merv'. "There's not much we can do to stop you, but if it's gonna be a regular thing, we'll move the china out of the cupboard. I really liked that cup, you know."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Marle scrunched up her face apologetically. "But this might be the last time!"

"It better be," grumbled the Impess, "coming here at all hours, like you own the place!"

In all honesty, it wasn't really that late when they left the Imps and edged out of Medina and towards Melchior's hut. Due to the time shift between 1000 A.D. and the prehistoric era, they missed most of the afternoon, but it was still early evening. Sadly, the weather was much worse than the last time they were on Medina. Thin incessant rain soaked them through during the two hour trek to Melchior's hut.

Melchior was out of his wits with surprise when they presented him with Dreamstone. "HOW on earth did you manage to get it?" he asked incredulously, his eyes wide behind his spectacles, but almost at once raised a hand. "No, don't tell me. I don't think my heart could take it. I'll take a little while to fix this..."

He took more than just a little while, he took five hours. The sat around aimlessly, lulled into mind-numbing boredom by the erratic sound of rain pelting the roof. Lucca offered Melchior her help, but he seemed reluctant about it, even though he agreed. She suspected that he suspected the same that she had suspected of him before, i.e. that they could travel through time. But he didn't say anything and she didn't ask. He was repairing the Masamune, so things were going their way. Asking delicate questions could disturb the currently favorable state of affairs.

By the time Melchior was done, the moon was high up in the skies, and the party were dozing off around his hut, too out of it to question anything. "The Masamune is ready," the old swordmaker announced as the climbed up the stairs leading up from his workshop. "I have strengthened it a little, to prevent it from being broken again."

The sword was resting on his extended palms and the group eyed it curiously. It didn't look any different than it did before, apart from being in one piece rather than in two, that is. It was newly cleaned and sharpened, but the general image was the same. A wide double-edged blade under a large crossguard and a red hilt. It didn't look particularly magical, but neither of them needed any further proof of that, they had seen enough.

As the Masamune was still resting in Melchior's hands, the group glanced to Frog, expecting him to step up and accept the sword that seemed to have been his at some point. But the medieval knight only looked away wordlessly. Taking it as his cue, Crono reached out and took the Masamune from Melchior. The sword wasn't exactly to his liking; it was quite heavy and he preferred using lighter katanas, but somebody had to be using it if they were to succeed against Magus.

"How much do we owe you?" Lucca asked Melchior, pushing her glasses up.

The swordmaker shook his head. "Nothing at all. Being able to see the Masamune again is enough of a reward."

"Fair enough," Lucca replied. There were many things that she'd like to ask Melchior about, but first thing's first. "Then let's get going. It must be past midnight already and we still have to drop by my house. Thank you," she added to Melchior.

"Yes, thanks a lot," Marle agreed among a vicious yawn.

Although before Melchior would wave their gratitude aside and ask them to visit him again some time, now he only nodded half to himself, his eyes watching them intently as they were leaving.

The trek back to Medina Village took up another two rain-filled hours. There was little conversation between the four of them. Lucca's stomach was still sucking itself in with that deceptive emptiness of a hangover and despite the nap she had earlier in the day, her head was already heavy and uncooperative. Walking next to her, Marle was shivering violently, soaked to the bone even though Crono had lent her his outer tunic. Lucca noted dimly that the Princess wasn't looking too well. Her eyes had an unhealthy shine to them and her cheeks were much more flushed that they ought to be out in the rain. Hopefully, she would not get ill.

The village was dark and mostly quiet; the silence of the night was broken only by the drunken laughter and slurry shouts from the Inn. Unfortunately, due to the late hour they found the front door to the Merv's house to be locked. The stared at it in silence, somewhat lost, until Crono found a half open window to the bedroom and they crept along the well-kept lawn to sneak into the Imps' cupboard.

"Art we not breaking in this way?" Frog asked in an anxious whisper just as Crono and Marle disappeared through the window. The idea of using such dishonest means did not sit well with him.

Lucca pushed herself up on the windowsill, a small grunt of effort escaping her. "Probably, but we're not here to steal anything. Although if they have any more of the cream pie I wouldn't mind nibbling on a bite."

Frog didn't look assured by her words, but followed after her through the opening nevertheless. Inside, they found Merv fast asleep on a small, Imp-sized bed. A white nightcap adorned his indecent head and a matching white frilly nightgown covered his stubby blue body. On another bed nearby, Imogene, Merv's sort of a wife – though judging by the spat they had walked on when they needed to see Melchior before, it was a rocky relationship – was also asleep, and also dressed in impeccably white night garments.

On their toes, the party sneaked past the bedroom and into the kitchen. There was no cream pie nowhere in sight, so without further delay they opened the cupboard and traveled to the End of Time. Without even bothering to walk over to the lamppost and talk to the strange old man, they took another Gate, the one leading to Leene's Square.

That was another odd thing about the Gates, Lucca thought as they were traversing the endless expanse of blue that stretched between different eras. Although originally there were only three blue pillars at the End of Time, as they traveled through new ones, more pillars appeared, as if the reality of the End of Time depended on their actions. She remembered that when they first got here, the old man mentioned other time-travelers. They had not run into any yet, but it made her wonder whether those other travelers traveled through the same Gates as them and whether when they reached the End of Time they saw new Gates too. Or was the End of Time tailored to suit each new group of people separately...?

Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when the Gate deposited them onto Leene's Square, none too gently, and her behind hit the stone covered ground of the corner where the Telepod used to be. Her father must've already dismantled the contraption, which, considering the ruckus over Marle's disappearance, was a smart marketing move. It must've been around two in the morning already and Leene's Square was empty except for a few guards, but they opted to go through the forests around Truce anyway. It was better to blow on the cold, especially since they were running out of time.

The walk to Lucca's house was not hardly long, but it felt excruciatingly so to the group. The weather on Zenan was just as rotten as it had been on Medina; a nasty drizzle was seeping down from the skies, further soaking their already soaked clothes. The nearly full moon was framed by a blurred aureole of pallid light, as if had been watered down by the rain. By the time they got to Lucca's house, their teeth were rattling like windows during a winter gale.

They neared the house from the back, where they could see light spilling out from the workshop. Behind the presently lifted wide shutter door, Taban was still working on some project, currently battling with a stubborn screw and muttering choice curses under his moustache.

"Dad?" Lucca called out, herding her companions into the shelter of the large workshop. Taban jerked up, hitting his head on the shelf above him. The screwdriver dropped from his hand with a loud clang as he turned to them and recognized his only offspring without any problems.

"Lord, Lucca," he panted, clutching at his chest, "please don't scare your father like that, he has a weak heart!"

"Very funny," Lucca replied dryly. According to his doctor, her father's heart was mightier than Leene's Bell. Although at the moment, Taban did indeed look a bit shaken, or perhaps rather confused, as his eyes rested on the newest addition to their party. "Oh," she gestured to Frog, "this is Frog, he's gonna help us against Magus."

Taban blinked himself back into politeness. "A pleasure to meet you, Frog." He received a courteous nod from the short amphibian and turned back to Lucca. "And how are you doing with Magus? I mean, against Magus?"

Lucca shook her head, pushing her glasses up. "To make the long story short, we got ourselves a magic sword, found out where Magus has his evil lair and how to get there and in–" she glanced to the colorful cuckoo clock on the wall, one that didn't really have a cuckoo, but something that resembled a mini-Gato as the time announcer, "–three hours we'll be sailing out on a ship captained by a madman to reach said evil lair."

Taban chuckled behind his beard. "Just make sure to be well prepared for the job. You know what I always say, preparing yourself properly–"

"–means half the job done," Lucca and Crono finished in one voice. "And on that note," Lucca added, "we need some financial grounding, if you catch my drift."

"I do indeed," Taban agreed solemnly. "Good thing I have some coins on me. I needed cash to pay for the parts I was to get from Epstin tomorrow, but I can always withdraw some from the Royal Bank in the morning–" a loud sneeze coming from where Marle was trying to wring out her clothes interrupted him. "Oh, my. Seems to me like you need more than money." Wiping his hands off on a greasy rag nearby, he led them through the door to the kitchen. "Three hours is enough time for a warm meal and a change of clothes. And a bath, because – if you don't mind me saying so – you _need_ one."

"Trust me, Dad," Lucca replied grimly, "we _know_."

The next two hours of the night were spent on hurried preparations. First to bathe was Marle, and Lucca accompanied her upstairs to get her some dry clothes. She quickly found the most 'girly' clothes she had, hoping Marle wouldn't mind them being a bit wrinkled, and deposited them to the rustic bathroom of the Ashtear household, where Marle was already soaking in the large wooden tub. The bathroom was located in between her room and her parents' room, and as she headed back downstairs and passed by the wooden door leading to her parents' room, she felt a pang of guilt, thinking about her mother. She hadn't really said goodbye to her mother before leaving to the past and now it was too late into the night to say hello. Not that it was an appealing prospect to begin with. She loved her mother dearly, but was not blind to the fact that she was a bitter, withdrawn woman, who spent most of her time on brooding.

It hadn't always been like that. When Lucca was a child, her mother was a cheerful, vivacious woman who approached her husband's inventing mania with a loving shake of her head. And when Lucca shaped the dough for cookies into wrenches instead of cookie-men, Lara only laughed, saying 'like father, like daughter'. But everything changed eight years ago, when Lara got crippled in an accident involving one of Taban's inventions, a conveyor belt. It wasn't anybody's fault really. Her father did leave the machine operational and unattended, but her mother knew she wasn't supposed to come anywhere near it, yet was eager to dust it off. It wasn't the fault of neither of them, just like it wasn't Lucca's fault for being too short then to reach the control panel or for not knowing the password that could stop the machine.

Not that it ever eased hers or her father's sense of guilt, made even stronger by the change in Lara. At first, despite the gravity of her injuries, Lara was still cheerful and optimistic. But as time rolled by and the full extent of her incapacitation took its toll, she slipped into self-pity and bitterness. And now neither her husband nor her daughter knew what to do shake her out of that stupor. She just wouldn't listen to them, always repeating that they cared only for their 'toys'. Not that there wasn't a grain of truth in the statement, they both were very passionate about their inventions, but that didn't mean they didn't care about her.

Sighing, Lucca retraced her steps back to her room and in the mayhem of books and machinery found a pen and a piece of paper. Writing down a hasty message, she went to her parents' room and left the slip on her mother's nightstand. It was just a generic note, '_You were asleep when I was here, so I didn't wake you up. I'll be back soon. Love, Lucca._' She gave her mother's sleeping form one last look and closed the door behind her, wishing that she were more articulate when it came to expressing emotions. She had never been, always feeling that some words didn't belong out in the open, that what was meaningful and warm in the safety of her mind, would wilt faster than poppy flowers if voiced, slumping into awkward and empty sounds.

But it was too late to think about it now. Not only too late into the night, but too late for her to become somebody she was not. She was not an overly emotional person, period. Maybe if she knew it could help, she'd try, but she had seen enough of her father's words and affection slide off her mother like grime down the drain to know it would be a wasted effort.

Shaking off the thoughts, she hurried down the stairs, to join her father, Crono and Frog in the kitchen. Crono was toiling at the stove, apparently having replaced her father at the job. He always claimed that both she and Taban were lethal cooks, although she never knew what exactly he was talking about. Maybe he secretly liked cooking but didn't want to be too obvious about it. In either case, their late night snack would be ready soon. In the meantime, she asked her father about Robo, whom she hadn't seen anywhere in the house, and learnt that Robo set out on a quest of his own. Not wanting to be a burden, he constructed another Gate Key and traveled back to the future to search for any possible information on Lavos.

She had to admit it was a very good idea. Although from the footage they had seen it seemed that Lavos took the future by surprise, it was possible that some of the survivors made worthwhile observations, still available somewhere within the complex computers. The idea of making another Gate Key was just as good, if not better, especially now that they had freshly learnt how easy it would be for them to become eternally stranded in a wrong time period. Leaving her father to further confuse Frog by showing him various inventions around the kitchen, she slipped back into the workshop and packed a few parts into her bag. Without modern tools it would be a challenge to construe a Gate Key, but it only made the activity more appealing to her.

Soon, Marle was done with her bath and Lucca took her turn at cleaning herself. She was done in a flash and just as quickly packed a fresh change of clothes and wolfed down her portion of Crono's cooking. After two hours of preparations, they left her house again, just as the skies were beginning to lighten on the horizon.

Thus, they had spent a whole day on action and got close to zero sleep. It was hardly surprising then that when they reached Truce pier, 600 A.D., they looked like they had been dragged under the keel.

"Hey, where's the blond one?" Mad Ronah asked as they walked past him. "Ya know, the one that nearly lost her stomach."

Lucca turned back to the captain. "She won't be coming with us this time around, she caught a serious cold."

That was the last thing they did before leaving the house, parted with Marle. Even after the hot bath, it was obvious that Marle was in no state for traveling. Her nose was running, she developed a nasty cough and had a fever that could heat a house during winter. At first she was adamant about going with them regardless, even attempted to heal herself, but relented after Taban pointed out that in her current state she'd be a liability more than help. Unable to counter the argument, she agreed to stay under Taban's care, only making them promise that they'd watch out for themselves and come back in one piece.

Mad Ronah nodded in vague understanding and Lucca moved towards the cabin, but paused and turned back to him, remembering something. "Captain, would it be possible for you to drop us off on Zenan before Porre? Like, say, on the latitude of Devil's Mane...?"

Mad Ronah eyed her curiously, his eyes twinkling with laughter. "Ya ain't by any chance thinking of having a whack at the nasty wizard, are ya?" Lucca adjusted her glasses, unsure whether a confirmation would do them any good, but Mad Ronah lifted his hands, catching onto her hesitation. "Not that it's any of my business. Ya pay, ya say. And sure, I can drop ya off early, though a few miles off Devil's Mane. The shores on Zenan are too rocky there for landing."

Lucca nodded. "That's fine, a few miles is not too far. When will we get there?" From what she had grasped during their sail to Truce, it generally took longer to sail south because the winds were blowing to nearly north. So they would have to tack about west and east a lot, which took up much more time.

"It all depends on the wind," Mad Ronah replied, tilting his head, "but some time at dawn tomorrow, unless a storm catches us."

Lucca nodded again. "Thanks!" With that, she headed into the cabin they still had assigned for them. Inside, she found Crono already sprawled out on one of the bunks and Frog resting in a hammock. Resignedly, she flopped down onto the other bunk. They needed rest, yes, but this was going to seriously unbalance their sleeping pattern.

And it most certainly did. They slept all day, waking up only for dinner in the afternoon. When Lucca finally came to enough to get up again, it was late night once more, meaning they were but a few hours away from finally reaching their destination. Crono was still asleep on his bunk and Frog was missing from the cabin, hopefully only temporarily.

Lighting the hanging lamp, she sat down at the small table between the bunks, bolted down to the floor, on a wooden bench similarly held forever in one place. Rummaging through her bag, she plunked out the parts for the new Gate Key and began construing the spare device. It was slightly difficult, since The Lady was sailing with a mighty list to the side, but fortunately the surface of the table was enclosed by a slat, keeping the parts from sliding down onto the floor. She was only on adjusting the standard mainframe when Frog came back to the cabin. He shook off a few droplets of water from his cape and sat down on her now empty bunk.

Lucca glanced to him above the rim of her glasses. "Enjoyed a walk on the deck?"

"Aye," Frog shook his head with a small laugh, "albeit 'enjoy' be hardly the word."

Lucca laughed too, knowing what he meant. The trip to Truce had been pretty clam in comparison to what was happening to The Lady now. Having to tack forced the ship into a heavy lurch; the waves kept crashing against the stem and the sides, cascading down onto the deck. Combined with the wild vertical jolts up and down the waves it made walking on the deck a nightmare for any sane person. She found it the most discomforting when they went to the cramped mess for dinner and her meal was constantly trying to run away from her. The crew however seemed perfectly fine with such a state of affairs. They went about their business with an ease that only those who had spent most of their lives without solid ground under their feet could boast.

"At least we'll reach Chantas Mountains in but a few hours," she replied lightly, pushing her glasses up. "And a few hours more and we'll be knocking on Magus' door."

Frog glanced up to her cagily from where he sat on the bunk. "Thou shouldst take Magus more seriously."

Lucca waved dismissively, frowning. "I am, but that's no reason to be glum. Besides, all we know on Magus so far are unconfirmed scraps of gossip. Who knows what we'll find on Devil's Mane." With a small grunt, she bolted down the main circuit of the new Gate Key to the frame, mentally cursing the wavering light in the cabin.

Frog remained silent for a long time before speaking again. "Thou hath asked me before if I hadst a 'personal history' with Magus. ... I hath." Lucca glanced up to him over the rim of her glasses, perking up her ears. Was Frog finally in the mood to share his story with them...?

He was sitting on the bunk, leaned forward with his elbows propped against his knees, currently observing the crossed fingers of his gloved hands. "Ten years ago a knight named Cyrus was the Captain of the Knights of the Square Table in Guardia," he began finally, his voice even. "As the rumors of Magus spread across the land, he set out to retrieve the Hero Medal from the Frog King, into whose hands the badge fell on a chance a few years prior."

Lucca frowned pensively. The Frog King...? She glanced behind her, wondering if she shouldn't wake up Crono, but found that her friend was already awake. He was still lying on the bunk, but his eyes were focused on the teller of the story.

"His best friend and protégé, Glenn, accompanied him on the mission. They journeyed for months, many a time battling Mystics and even Magus' three main accomplices, Ozzie, Slash and Flea. But Cyrus wouldst not be stopped and succeeded not only in retrieving the Hero Medal, but also in obtaining the Masamune from the Denadoro Mountains."

He paused for a moment, his fingers lacing together firmly. "'Twas then, but a day after Cyrus hadst defeated the guardians of the sword, that they encountered Ozzie and Magus. They too hadst been seeking the Masamune, mayhap to ensure that no one useth it against the warlock. Even armed with the Masamune, Cyrus and Glenn couldst not overcome Magus. He broke the sword with his scythe and... slew Cyrus with his magicks. Glenn too hadst been hit by a spell. In agony and woe, he fell off from a cliff, lost for conscious thought."

Taking a deep breath, Frog looked up to them, as if reading himself. The erratic light of the wildly swinging lantern caught in his yellow eyes, the slit-like pupils contracting into thin lines. "When Glenn regained consciousness, he wast no longer human... He wast in this body that thou seest now." He fell silent, allowing the information to sink in with the other two.

Lucca blinked disbelievingly. "Pardon...? You mean... YOU are Glenn and you have been TURNED into a frog...?" Frog nodded slowly and Lucca's stupor deepened. Her mind simply refused to cooperate with her on that one. _Turned_ into a frog...? How the _hell_ was that possible?

Feeling a need to pace around, she got up, but a wild jump of the ship threw her back onto the bench. Her two companions were watching her curiously, unsure about her odd behavior. Lucca fixed her glasses. "Not to call you a liar, but...it's just not possible! I'm not particularly good with biology as such, but something like that just isn't possible! And even if it was possible to turn somebody into something else, you can't do it just like that! Snap, you're a frog!"

Frog shook his head. "I assure thee that my words be true. I know not what powers Magus employed to make it so, but he seemeth to do it with ease." He turned his bulbous eyes away from them, faltering slightly. "'Twas Ozzie who suggested the idea to Magus. 'Can't you give him a more fitting form?' he said. I shalt never forget the warlock's reply, so... casual were his words. 'There's always time for a little fun.' 'Fun', he said! 'Twas _fun_ for him to kill... to _murder_ Cyrus and to rob me of mine humanity!"

He paused, steadying his voice and regaining his composure. "Thou canst say 'tis not possible all thou wanst, but Magus' magicks know no equal. Nor dost his cruelty. If we cannot defeat him, we shalt meet our deaths on that island, if not worse."

Crono shifted on his bunk, but Lucca paid the grim warning little heed, too preoccupied in chewing over the news. Her mind vaulted around all possible explanations, including the one that Frog was lying. But no, he had no reason to, and never gave them any grounds to suspect him of ill intentions. Then had he _really_ been turned into a frog...? Her head felt ready to explode and she placed a soothing hand on her forehead, trying to placate the storm within. Science entertained the idea of transmutation, of course, but of _substances_, not _people_! The human body was a highly complex construction, unsurpassable in its intricacy. To transform it into a completely different one would require altering every single cell, all physiological process, the very _root_ of one's being!

A distant shout coming from outside disturbed both her hazed thoughts and the silence of the cabin. "Gybe-ho!" Knowing full well by now what the enigmatic call meant, they grabbed onto the furniture and their possessions. The Lady's list evened out slowly and for a split second the ship remained steady and calm, like a rollercoaster right before the plunge. Above them, the massive booms swept over the deck and rigging creaked as the mariners pulled the ropes. Then the wind snapped the sails full again and with a sudden jolt The Lady was propelled forward and into a heavy tilt once more.

Lucca's hand remained absentmindedly on the parts spread out over the table, her mind still unable to cope with the idea of Frog having been turned into a frog via a 'spell'. And even though the knight had just relayed to them a story of encountering Magus in person, in a twist of surreal logic her acceptance of Magus' existence was shaken once more. Transmutating _people_ into _frogs_? Honestly! Her mind rebelled violently against the idea and she was about to ask Frog for more details of the encounter, to seek for any inconsistencies, but Crono's words interrupted her.

"We're almost there," the spiky-haired boy said, propping himself up on an elbow and pointing to the porthole. Lucca and Frog turned to see what he was indicating. Behind the glass of the small circular window dawn was already cracking over the skies. And now, after The Lady took a gybe, a jagged rocky island was marring the horizon. The Devil's Mane.

"We shouldst prepare ourselves and inquire with the Captain then," Frog said, gesturing to the table that was still strewn with parts of the Gate Key.

"Yes, you're right," Lucca replied, still feeling somewhat dazed. Hastily, she bagged the parts and tools and then retrieved her helmet and utility belt from a chest nearby – bolted to the floor like everything else. When Crono tucked his katana behind his belt and pulled on his boots, they blew the lamp away and left the small cabin, heading up to the deck.

The skies to the east, where their final destination loomed, were painted into a mosaic of red and blue by the first rays of sun. The Lady was steadily sailing past Devil's Mane and towards the shores of Zenan. They watched the island in silence, all lost in their own thoughts, until Mad Ronah appeared from the bowels of the ship, yawning, and began shouting various commands. The crew hastened to comply and soon The Lady turned upwind, the sails drooping down limply, ousted of the wind. A splash of the anchor followed, right before a command to prepare the launch boat.

Mad Ronah headed towards them, but a sudden yell from up the main mast cut into his tracks. "Capt'n! Seapucks on the port!"

"Seapucks...?" Lucca questioned, pushing her glasses up. They leaned out over the railing but couldn't see anything among the waves. Behind them, Mad Ronah let out a sight. "Bring out the candy barrel!" he hollered towards the aft.

"Candy barrel...?" Crono asked in puzzlement, turning to his companions who were just as lost as he.

"You might wanna step aside, kids," Mad Ronah informed them, and they stepped away from the port and towards the starboard. Soon a crew member showed up, carrying a small barrel. He set it down right under the railing and popped the lid open, uncovering a multitude of various sweets. They watched on, befuddled, while the man stepped aside too and joined them on the other side of the deck.

Hardly a minute passed when they heard of a few splashes and then odd sucking sounds, as if something wet was climbing up the ship's side. When a greenish, crested head appeared over the railing, Lucca's hand traveled up to adjust her glasses. What on earth...?

The creature eyed them carefully and then hopped down onto the deck. It was short, four feet tall at most, completely green and unbelievably bendy, as if it had no bones in its body. Its head was adorned by odd spikes, slightly resembling that of a gargoyle. The glossy, smooth skin of the creature was naked except for a small loin band, made of seaweeds. Its hands and feet were webbed and sharp looking fins grew on its forearms.

The creature, a seapuck apparently, scrutinized its surroundings and, spotting the candy, let out a low whistle. The sucking sounds repeated and soon four more seapucks crawled over the railing. Two were even smaller than the others, children perhaps. Watching them contently snack on the candy from the barrel, Lucca could fully understand why they were called 'seapucks'. Their faces were mischievous and playful, puckish, in short. They all had Mystically pointed ears, large dark-green eyes and small sharp teeth, currently smeared with chocolate and licorice.

They feasted for a few minutes, remaining wary of the spectators nevertheless, until one by one they disappeared over the railing. Only the one that had arrived first remained. It blinked at the group and suddenly broke out into a wide grin, as if in affinity. Turning away, the creature placed something small on top of the remaining candy in the barrel and climbed suckingly over the railing and after its kin.

"They can't stay out of water for too long. When their skin dries up, they keel over at once," Mad Ronah told them, walking over to the barrel. "Some sailors attack seapucks, but it's a BIG mistake. When pissed off, they wrap seaweed around the rudder. Not something ya want done to your ship, trust me. But treat 'em right–" he bent over and picked the small object the seapuck left behind, "–and they know how to show gratitude."

He held up the object and they felt their mouths drop open. It was a large pearl, perfectly formed and probably worth a fortune, at least to a human.

"Thou profiteth from the Mystics...?" Frog asked, a slight hint of scold in his voice.

Mad Ronah shrugged. "So do most people. At least I pay them back for it."

"I wouldst take no gifts from the Mystics," Frog replied, his eyes darkening.

"Not directly," Mad Ronah laughed. "But whatcha call it when Porre tried to eradicate the colony of Mystic chits from the Targain peninsula because there were truffles on their lands? They failed at first, but are there any Mystics on Targain now?"

Frog blinked slowly. "I hath no knowledge of such a thing."

"Then take my word for it. I might've been a kid then, but I'm from Porre so I remember it well. Besides," Mad Ronah titled his head, eyeing Frog carefully, "aren't ya a Mystic yourself?"

"It's a long story," Lucca cut in before Frog, who looked affronted by the idea, could reply. To be honest, she too had thought before that he was a Mystic. "And we're kinda in a hurry..."

Mad Ronah took the hint and nodded. "Right, right. Then hop into the launch and we'll get ya off at once." He led them towards the small raw boat suspended on the starboard and they climbed in swiftly. A crew member accompanied them while two more began lowering the boat onto the waves.

"And don't ya wreck too much havoc on Devil's Mane," Mad Ronah hollered after them, laughter in his voice, "it's my best source of income!"

Frog seemed slightly offended by the comment, but kept his opinions to himself and Lucca was thankful for it. She could easily see why Frog would feel biased against the Mystics. He had spent most of his life battling them, his best friend was killed by their leader and – as unbelievable as it still was to her – he was turned into a frog by the said leader. But she suspected that the difference in opinion between Frog and Mad Ronah stemmed from a difference in association with the word 'Mystic'. Frog linked it with the big shots of the lot, like Magus, naga-ettes or the blue scaly monster they had seen in the Heckran Cave. But Mad Ronah seemed to be thinking about the small fries – the 'chits', as he had put it – like Imps, Diablos or Seapucks. And his attitude agreed with hers in relation to the Imps in their times – they were annoying, yes, but that didn't mean they didn't have the right to live.

The boat hit the waves and the oars hit the water. The crew member accompanying them paddled expertly and they were out on the shore in but a few minutes. They said their thanks and waved their goodbyes; the crew and its captain were definitely eccentric but they were also easy-going and true to their word, delivering everything they had been paid for.

As The Lady's sailes picked up the wind again and the ship grew smaller against the brightening skies, they headed deeper into the land. A few miles off to the north, the Chantas Mountains spiraled towards the skies. It was the final stage in their journey to straighten up the future. As the walked steadily towards the tall peaks, Lucca felt a spike of excitement, one that usually filled her when she was about to solve a problem. And the problem they were facing now, or perhaps the conundrum, was one hell of a Gordian knot of loose ends and entangled clues. Wherever Magus went or whenever he was mentioned, why's and how's followed like flies after a cow's behind.

Oh yes, she thought, nearly rubbing her hands in expectation, she was definitely going to demand some answers from the elusive mage!

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Phew! That was THE most exhausting chapter I've written yet! It dragged like chewing gum stuck to the sole of a shoe! Therefore, if you have only skimmed over it, you can come clean about it, I won't hold it against you. Hell, I wouldn't reread it again even if I was paid to do it!

...Okay, so if I was paid, I'd do it, but only then!

If anyone has any critical remarks, whack me freely, I've whacked myself already anyway...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to _Chrono Trigger_ in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.

**Reviews: **As always, thank you all who have spent your time on letting me know what you think about the fic! I can't stress enough how great having your story reviewed feels, although it's something that every writer is well aware off ;)

**GoldenSunGeek:** Thank you! I had to remove Marle somehow to keep the three in a party rule. Not that I had to (and I intend to change that later on), but I had enough trouble with managing a three on one battle as it was... o0

**Shaded Mazoku:** Thank you and I'm glad to hear you liked it! I keep trying to make the story feel real and add many details, but the exhaustion factor is _unbelievable_! I have no idea how people can do it easily o0 Anyway, Lucca's full reaction was intended for after she wakes up but it didn't make it into the chapter. I did try to make her struggle with her thoughts a little, so I hope it came out fine. And thanks again for reviewing!

**Indigo Tantarian**: Thank you. The seapuck will make a come back later on and Magus is nearly there (as far as POV is concerned) ;)

**zipis1**: Thank you! And I agree, many people seem to think that it's enough to write "they're friends" and that's it. But a lifetime friend is like the back of your hand and shares years of experiences! Aaaanyway, the Frog narration was intentional, although my aim was to show that was trying to distance himself from the events. Which is pretty much the same thing. And there some LuMa foul play in this chapter, but I will make up for it, I promise!

**ShadowCatYumi08:** Thank you! Yes, unfortunately I couldn't think of anyway the make the last chapter better, but as you said, sometimes one just has to commit such things. And Magus is nearly knocking on our door, I swear!

**David Morris:** Thank you. To be honest, I think I'm making Crono and Frog pretty flat so far, but I'm glad to hear you like Lucca's characterization, she grasped me the most of the CT characters. And I'm very glad you noticed my attempts to describe Magus without showing him. I've been doing something similar in my other fic for 120 000 words and nobody ever mentioned it! Shucks! Aaaanyway, thanks again for reviewing!

**ladyvella42:** Thank you! Ayla had to get cut out somewhat because the fic would stretch into impossibility if I tried to depict everyone thoroughly and in much detail (and I'm not good enough to do a good characterization and quick action in few words...). Unfortunately, I might also cut out the other Ayla adventure, simply because I'm very eager to get to the Zeal part. And I know what you mean about personal replied – it _does_ feel much nicer when the author replied to you personally! Oh, and I hope that this chapter won't be disappointing!

**The Dragon Sorceress:** Hahaha, thank you, but don't torture yourself!

**Quizer:** Thank you! Hopefully, the Magus battle will not be disappointing... And Lucca will face herself more in the next chapter, but the 'doubting Lucca' is pretty much gone now ;)

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_Chapter 10 – The Loft of Iniquity_

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"Well, then," Lucca said, popping the small vial open, "bottoms up!"

Her companions uncorked their own ethers and all three tipped the vials, drinking the shimmering contents. They stood on Devil's Mane, not far from the exit from the undersea passage. Around them, the forests of the island swayed on the night breeze, distant whispers rustling in the darkness. The full moon crawling up the dark skies bathed the surroundings in pale glow, draining the color out of the world.

They had found the entrance to the passage easily thanks to the well-traveled path leading straight to it. The journey under the sea was damp, monotonous and long. They kept to the shadows, trying to avoid any possible and needless encounters, but still had to combat a few rogue Mystics. Victory came easily, but the long trek and repeated skirmishes left them thoroughly exhausted when they finally reached the other end of the rocky passage. Especially since all they had to eat were a few stale sandwiches Crono had slapped together hastily back in Lucca's kitchen.

But although the idea of hiding in the forest for the night and resting was appealing, they decided to follow Frog's advice and continue without intermissions. As he had told them, nighttime offered stealth and secrecy. Considering that they had little idea what exactly they would find deeper into the island, it could prove to be a significant advantage.

"Let us make haste," Frog said sternly, discarding the now empty ether vial.

He stepped onto the path that led through the woods and to the north east and his two companions followed. Lucca eyed the short knight pensively. He was even tenser than before and she doubted whether it was good for him. On the other hand, his determination seemed to have finally overridden his reservations about using the Masamune. When they reached the Chantas Mountains, they found that the entrance to the undersea passage was blocked by a huge rock; the path led straight to it and ended abruptly. Lucca had been already mentally construing a bomb when Frog turned to Crono.

"Hand'eth over the Masamune!" he said firmly, and Crono obliged at once.

What followed could only be described as another illustration of the Masamune's magical nature. The sword, which had been dull and unexceptional in Crono's hand, lit up with blue glow the moment Frog's fingers curled around the hilt. Winds picked up around them, lashing out at clothes and hair, as if the spirits of the sword were expressing their approval.

"My name is Glenn!" Frog lifted the Masamune into the air, his jaw set. "Cyrus's hopes and dreams... And now the Masamune... Forthwith I shall slay Magus and restore honor!" Jumping up high, he slashed at the rock. The blade didn't even touch the surface, yet the massive bulk cracked in two, as if overcome by the sheer pressure of the movement. Crumbling, the rocks raised a cloud of dust that engulfed them for a moment.

In Lucca's opinion, it had been a slightly overdramatic display, but it served its purposes well enough. The passage was uncovered, and Frog and the Masamune got together. The sword was now swinging at the knight's hip, jangling metallically as they walked under the dark canopy of branches. The moon shone in the skies ahead, a pallid hallmark leading them up the forested path.

Despite its foreboding name, the island didn't bear any noticeable signs of belonging to an evil mage. A few sharp rock formations jutted out here and there, but the rest seemed ordinary, not to say almost picturesque. Owls hooted in the night forest, dry leaves rustled when small rodents scampered away from the predators. On a meadow they passed by, tall grass swayed like a grey carpet and a hare watched them curiously among the blades, before leaping away hurriedly.

After an hour of walking, they followed the path up a small hill and finally saw their true destination. In the small valley ahead, dark towers grew from the base of a shadowy forest, stabbing at the glowing orb of the moon.

"One mystery solved. He lives in a gothic castle. Kinda big gothic castle," Lucca said, pushing her glasses up. They were still too far away to discern all the details, but 'gothic castle' was the most adequate description of the construction that bore vague resemblance to the 'ominous' architecture of Medina Village. Two round and wide towers rimmed the smaller central bulk, their roofs cone-like and sharp against the faint glow of the moon. Large arching windows gaped in the nearly black walls, some flickering with dim light. A statue sat atop the central roof, but all that was visible from afar were massive wings, black against the moon behind it.

"I doubt he lives alone," Crono turned to her in the darkness.

Lucca cocked an eyebrow. "You mean we should expect to find Mrs. Magus and mini-Magi inside?"

"He meaneth we shouldst expect hordes of faithful followers, ready to cast their lives away for their master," Frog replied impassively, his eyes fixed on the castle looming ahead. "Let us go."

He walked down the hill, his hand already on the red hilt of the Masamune. Lucca sighed, following after him and Crono. She could understand why Frog was so tense, but he was pushing it in her opinion. What was it that her father had said about Magus fighting with a scythe? 'Apparently, he had a sense of style', that's right. That was all there was to it. Magus fitted perfectly into the image of a dark mage, starting from having a name like that, through using a scythe, down to living on a secluded island in a gothic castle. Whether it was intentional psychological strategy or simple buffoonery remained to be seen, but it was hardly a reason to loose one's spirits.

Following the path, they entered the forest around the castle, keeping to the side. The branches stretched out above the wide path, shielding it even from the faint moonlight. They walked on cautiously through the darkness, ready to face any Mystics that could chance upon them from ahead. Soon, a low murmur of voices reached their ears, and a faint light flickered in the distance.

But just then Lucca paused, suddenly noticing a change in their surroundings. The forest around them was no longer green and thick, foliage no longer shaded the path. Because there was simply no more foliage anywhere in sight. The trees around them were barren, stripped naked of leaves. Their bark was dark, almost black; the branches were gnarled and contorted, like black skeletal fingers trying to grasp their clothes.

Frowning, she reached out and fingered a branch, somehow expecting it be slimy and rotten. It was not, but was unnaturally dry and clearly dead. And it wasn't just the trees, the undergrowth was just as blackened and lifeless. Bushes, shrubs and all. What happened here...? Why did the forest look as if it had been...

"'He calleth forthe the darkeness to devour them'...?" Crono whispered into her ear from behind. The branch sprang away from her fingers and her frown deepened.

"Oh, please," she scoffed flatly, "not only 'darkness' cannot 'devour' anyone, but even if – what exactly did the forest do to piss him off?"

"I don't know," Crono replied, "but if I did, I'd be sure never to do the same."

"Keep thy voice down," Frog whispered from ahead. He unsheathed the Masamune, his movements slow to minimize the noise, and cautiously moved towards the flickering light ahead, keeping near the line of the blackened trees. Crono unsheathed his katana and followed after him, falling into a crouch.

Pushing her glasses up, Lucca shook her head and trudged after them, trying to keep quiet. After creeping through the dead forest for a few minutes, they reached a large solitary archway at the end of the path. Black curved columns spiraled skywards and a stone gargoyle was sneering at them from the cresting beam. The archway was grotesque in its uselessness; it held up no doors and was attached to no wall. Just a pointless ornament. Yes, Lucca concluded once more, Magus definitely had a sense of 'style'.

Behind the incongruous archway stretched a large courtyard. A few minor buildings stood to the sides, but all were dwarfed by the dark castle looming above them. A large fire was blazing in front of one of the small buildings, to the left of the archway, and numerous Mystics were gathered around it. Some they recognized easily, Imps, Diablos, Omnicrones, Naga-ettes; others were of kinds neither had encountered before. The assorted group was celebrating something; clawed hands held tankards and mugs, sharp teeth bit on bloody chunks of raw meat.

Suddenly, one of the Mystics stood up and raised his mug. "Tonight, it's the beginning of the end for all humans! Lavos is about to be born! To Lavos and Maou-sama!" A roar of approval rolled over his comrades, who all raised their own mugs towards the eastern tower of the dark castle.

A small tug pulled on Lucca's sleeve, and she turned to see Crono's wide open eyes. 'Tonight...?' he mouthed to her and she could only nod. Tonight. It was still well before the end of the month history had given them and yet it almost too late. If they had camped out for the night, they'd miss the event by a hair's width. And they still could. _Now_ was the time to get all tense and stern.

Next to them, Frog gestured questioningly to the eastern tower and they nodded in agreement. The Mystics' salutations were aimed that way, so in all likelihood, that was where they would find the master of the castle. Slowly, they crept among the blackened trees rightwards from the archway and away from the Mystics. Time was of essence and needless combat had to be avoided as much as possible. Leaving a wide berth between them and the partying cohort, they crept through the shadowy courtyard and flattened themselves against the dark wall of the castle.

A few feet away arched massive oaken doors, the last obstacle between them and the innards of the towering fortress. They moved stealthily along the wall, hoping that the shadows would keep them hidden from the eyes of the Mystics. The entrance was but a foot away when a wing of the massive doors creaked open. Their backs instinctively pressed against the wall, they expected to be discovered any moment now. But the Mystic that appeared from inside missed them completely. He sneezed viciously just as he stepped outside and walked right passed them with his eyes squinted and a hand rubbing his nose.

Now was their best chance, Crono decided as the massive wing of the oaken door was beginning to swing shut again. Crouching down, he sprang forward and straight into the shadows inside. Lucca and Frog followed without missing a beat and made it just as well, although Frog's cape was nearly caught by the heavy frame. The loud thud of the closing door was their sole greeting to Magus' premises.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A distant cackle rippled through the otherwise soundless corridors, making the small hairs on the back of the party's necks rise uncomfortably. Lucca's lips thinned. It's was _annoying_, the whole goddamn place was _annoying_! It became annoying soon after they found a staircase and followed it upstairs and just wouldn't stop getting even more annoying from then on!

At first, Magus' 'evil lair' looked in-style, but otherwise unthreatening. When the massive door closed behind them, they found themselves in a spacious hall, the ceiling soaring high above. Torches and candelabra flickered along the stone walls, adding deceptive warmth to the burgundy carpeting and draperies. Tall, carved pillars upheld the high ceiling and stone statues of gargoyles and bizarre chimeras stood here and there, further enhancing the gothic ambiance of the place.

They kept to the right side and searched the multiple corridors for a way to go up. The Mystics who had the misfortune to chance upon them were disposed off as quickly and quietly as possible. After following a few hallways they found broad stairs leading to the upper level of the eastern tower and climbed it quietly and warily. Unfortunately, the stairs led only one level up, so they had to search for some other means to go climb further.

And that was when the place grew annoying. On the second level of the tower, the murmur of the Mystic voices from outside that had been still audible on the ground floor disappeared behind the thick walls. Silence engulfed them completely; so absolute was its stillness that it was almost ringing in their ears. Occasionally, a haunted cackle carried from both nowhere and everywhere, making them jolt nervously. At other times, a rustle of leathery wings whispered in the shadows and red eyes of bats glistened in the darkness.

That was another annoying thing, Lucca thought irritably as she followed her companions under a tall arch of a doorway. The castle was dark and shadowy, but the darkness on the second floor was different than anything she had encountered before. It was heavy and suffocating, like a shroud trying to drape itself over them. The flames of the torches and candles seemed choked down, as if the darkness found them insolent. It was almost as if the shadows were... _alive_. Instantly, Lucca scoffed at herself. Nonsense! The place was creepy alright, but that was all there was to it!

"..._sacrifice..._" a coarse voice whispered from behind and they pivoted to face the attacker. It was the undead. Four pallid skeletons emerged from the shadows, as if birthed by the darkness. Red light shone in the hollows of their eyes and their fleshless maws grinned at the party hungrily. Lucca quickly stretched out her hand and called forth her fire. The blaze scorched not only the bony monsters but also the numerous pieces of armor and weapon around. In their search for a way to go up, they must've stumbled upon an armory of sorts. Various kinds of armor, shields, swords and other types of weapons were amassed within the large room, the metallic surfaces shining dully in the dim light of the moon that seeped through the arch of the window.

As the fiery rage shooting from her palm abated, Crono and Frog hacked at the skeletons, mindful of the bone-like spears. One undead crumbled from the waste up under Crono's katana, his fleshless hips and legs still stumbling about. Another shrieked ghoulishly when the Masamune split his skull in twain. But he too kept moving, swinging his spear wildly. Those undead were much more resilient than the ones from Zenan bridge, as if the eerie darkness of the castle was enhancing their defenses.

Lucca stretched out her hand again. "Why don't they just die!" she asked nobody in particular, once more engulfing the skeletons in red inferno.

Crono slashed at another undead with a grunt. "Maybe because they can't? They are the undead, after all."

Lucca snorted half-heartedly. But as ridiculous as the explanation was, it was actually the most logical one. Just as Crono and Frog finished hacking the skeletons, the chopped up bones pulled together, rattling against the stone floor, and disappeared back into the shadows. No muscles, no sinews, no brains, and yet they moved, talked and even seemed capable of forming strategies. And the worst thing was that it was hard to say whether they hadn't been battling one and the same group over and over again. They kept running into the undead, but since all looked almost the same and all disappeared back into the shadows when defeated, they might've been wasting their time on trying to kill something that couldn't be killed.

"We shouldst worry more about the living," Frog said, flicking the bone dust off the Masamune. "Magus' henchmen couldst very well be in the castle."

"Don't they have a war to keep an eye on?" Crono asked, his eyes on one of the swords hanging on the wall.

"Lavos' creation couldst be more impor... I wouldst not touch it if I were thee." Crono's hand froze just as he was about to touch the intricate blade. "Who knowst what dark powers lurk within it."

"Yes, who knows what you could get turned into," Lucca joked flatly. Pushing her glasses up, she moved back towards the exit from the room. "Let's go check the other side of the tower, there's no stairs on this side." After reaching the second floor they set out to explore the right side of the expansive tower, but it seemed to be the wrong choice. Despite checking all the wide corridors and multiple rooms, they found no means to reach the upper levels. Only the undead and some other Mystics.

Lucca left the room and her companions followed after her. Without agreeing on it openly, they followed the patches of light cast by the faint flames, even though the shadows offered stealth. But here, the shadows seemed to offer also a stealthy spear to the ribs, if not worse.

After another encounter with the undead, they reached the stairs again and passed them to investigate the rest of the floor. This side was no different than the other. The same dark stone walls, the same tall pillars, the same burgundy finishings and sculpted chimeras. And the same dead silence and living shadows. Lucca grimaced unpleasantly as they came across two rather magical Mystics. The unsettling atmosphere of the place kept grating against her rational nature. There was _no_ reason to feel unsettled! The place was creepy, of course, some of the Mystics commanded strong magic, yes, but so far they've been progressing smoothly.

Crono finished off one of their opponents with a lightning and Frog sliced the other one nearly in half. There! They were doing fine and dandy and if things continued that way, by the end of the night future would be saved and she would get her answers. A happy ending all around. ...Except for Magus, but at the current moment he was even lower than before on her list of 'people to be nice to'.

The order in her mind restored, she continued through the darkness after her friends. Not long after they finally found stairs leading to the upper levels. The broad staircase spiraled upwards in a wide arch, inlaid with a wine-red running carpet. They followed the carved wooden banister up three flights, reaching an end to the stairs, but no warlocks.

"He's gotta be in good shape if he has to run up those stairs all the time," Lucca panted as they stepped out onto another wide corridor. It might've been just a few flights of stairs, but the floors here were at least fifteen feet tall each, so her breath escaped her and she was now hunched over trying to recapture it.

"Need a breather?" Crono asked sympathetically, tilting his head to accommodate for her current position.

Lucca waved a hand a straightened up. "No, no, I'll be fine. But I officially hate stairs."

"...Let us search for a way to continue the climb then." The Masamune still firmly in his hand, Frog ventured further into the candle-lit corridor.

They had hardly walked a few feet when a voice rang behind them, as if the owner had followed them up the stairs.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sir Froggy... Been a while, eh?"

They spun around hastily, weapons drawn and ready. At the top of the stairs stood a tall Mystic, dressed in oriental looking loose clothes. His skin was dark violet in color, including his pointy ears and completely bold head. Two features were prominent about him. His thick and wide, fish-like lips, and a very sharp and long katana in his right hand.

"It's been ages, Sir Slush," Frog replied deadpan.

The heavy and hairless, Imp-like brows of 'Sir Slush' contorted angrily. "It's SLASH, you slimy dolt!" He swiped his katana through the air but regained his composure. "Still playing the comedian, eh Glenn? You'd be singing a different tune if Cyrus hadn't been there with you last time! And it looks like you got some replacements for him. But don't worry, you'll be enjoying a reunion with your dear Cyrus soon enough."

The katana glinted in his hand metallically as he raised it for an attack. Frog's hands tightened around the Masamune and he secured his feet on the ground. But before the blades could clash, a throaty laughter chimed behind them.

"Trying to hog all the fun, Slash? So naughty!"

Their heads spun back at once. It was a woman, standing behind them further down the corridor. Slender and graceful, she wore a tight top, a short red skirt and a flimsy cape. Her hair was bound into a high ponytail and braided; in the light of the few candles it looked almost maroon in color, but it was obvious it was actually lighter.

"The pink-haired woman...," Lucca said pensively, recalling the story of Cecil, the waitress from Sandorino.

Frog took a step away towards the wall to keep an eye on both Mystics. "Keep your guard up!" he said tersely, "This is no ordinary woman! It's Flea, the magician!"

"Hey!" The woman stared at him in a mix of disdain and outrage. "I'm a GUY, you ignorant tadpole!"

To say that this was a surprise would be an understatement of the year. Lucca pushed her glasses up and squinted her eyes at the woman in confusion. No, she decided firmly, there was _no possible _way this was a guy! Not only her features were delicate and utterly feminine, with large blue eyes, a pointy nose and full rosy lips, not only her exposed legs were slender and curved just right around the hips, but her skimpy top actually left uncovered the curves of her breasts! And they looked more than real! Only her voice was less than feminine, it was slightly too low and throaty, especially for somebody who was otherwise an embodiment of physical femaleness.

"T, that is a guy...?" Crono stammered, clearly experiencing the same mental discomfort as Lucca.

The woman, man, or whomever Flea was, indifferently flicked of an invisible speck off the light cape. "Male... female... what's the difference? Power is beautiful, and I've got the power!" Lucca and Crono were still blinking in confusion but the magician ignored them and focused on Frog. "Poor little Froggie! You must be _lonely_ now that Cyrus is gone. And to be turned into something so hideous! Dreadful! But since you've brought your new friends over to play... I'll show you all a good time!"

Without further warning, Flea threw a blast of fire at them, almost scorching even Slash in the process. The party rolled out across the corridor. From the other side, Slash attacked with both his sword and ice magic. Masamune clashed against his blade, lightning split the shadows.

"You take care of fish-lips and I'll put out the hermaphrodite!" Lucca shouted to her companions and darted past Flea and deeper into the corridor. They needed to separate or else the duo would have them cornered like sitting ducks. Turning back, she shot a blast of her own fire at Flea, making sure that the he/she was going to follow her. Behind Flea, the sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated against the walls as Frog and Crono fought with Slash.

When the flames dissipated, Flea was virtually unharmed, only a few puffs of smoke were rising from the girlish clothes. But the diversion worked. The epicene focused solely on the scientist. Great! Or was it...? The air around Flea swooshed with wind and the magician's cape billowed out on the sudden breeze. In a blink of an eye, Lucca found the pretty face of the ambiguous magician mere inches from her own.

The rosy lips stretched in a lazy smile. "Such an ugly little thing...," Flea purred, sending an irrational chill down Lucca's spine. "Wanna play...?" Suddenly, the candle-lit corridor behind the man-woman dimmed before Lucca's eyes, replaced by a black void. Only a pair of ice-blue eyes shone in the darkness, drawing her into them.

"..._give in_...," a husky whisper swirled in her head, "..._give in to me_..."

Her body felt heavy and lethargic, her thoughts dissolved into an incoherent hodgepodge of loose threads. ..._Hypnosis_! The realization worked like a spell, allowing her to grasp onto a shred of her own will. Clenching her fist tightly, she drove her nails deep into flesh and forced her thoughts into repeating the multiplication table. _Two times two... three times two_... It was more difficult than a marathon up endless stairs. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and her breath came out short and ragged. The ice-blue eyes narrowed angrily, annoyed at the resistance.

But the combination of pain and concentration worked. Her thoughts pulled together and the numbness left her body.

"No thanks," Lucca breathed, lifting her hand up and sending a fire blast straight into the alluring face of her opponent.

Flea shrieked coarsely, staggering back. Her breath still ragged, Lucca dashed deeper into the corridor, reaching for her gun. Fire seemed to be hardly working against Flea, but bullets ripped through any flesh, magical or not. A sudden gust of wind rushed past her and she threw herself to the side, barely in time to avoid the fiery blast that followed the wind.

"Naughty girl," Flea hissed as Lucca struggled to her feet. "Scorching my face like that! You need to be disciplined!"

Before Lucca could refuse the new offer, the enraged magician threw a whirlwind at her. The blast slammed into her painfully and sent her flying through the air. The large double-winged door behind her burst open when her back crashed into it and she was thrust onto the smooth floor inside, sliding deeper into the dark room. Not good, Lucca thought as her gun slipped from her fingers and flew under a large table nearby.

"How dare you go in there, ugly!" Flea's voice, no longer purring but furious, rang from the corridor.

'You threw me in here, psycho!' Lucca retorted mentally, scuttling to her feet again. Flea burst inside behind her, carried by a strong gust of wind, and Lucca ran towards the other exit from the room, looking for a way to shield herself from the windy blasts. But to no avail. The large room seemed to be a study of sorts; books were spilling from the countless shelves on the walls; papers, scrolls and parchments were strewn messily over the large table and on the carved desk under the arching window.

Flea's wind washed over the room, throwing the papers into disarray and into the air. Like white petals carried on the pale moonlight, they lingered on the tendrils of wind, dancing in Lucca's face as she burst through the other double door on the opposite wall.

Shit! she cursed mentally, skidding to a halt. The room she just ran into was even more useless for hiding than the study that led to it! There was nothing inside except a large bed in the very center and heavy maroon curtains fastened around the tall arch of the window. Neither too good for shielding herself with...

"You're mine now!" the psycho's voice hissed right behind her and Lucca spun around just in time to get slammed by another whirlwind. The force of the blast thrust her back and sent her soaring through the air again. But her already tender behind was spared; she landed sprawled on the soft bed in the middle of the room.

The ice-blue eyes gleamed in the shadows, narrowed in fury, and Flea snarled at her. "You wench! Get off Maou-sama's bed!"

The enraged magician lunged at Lucca, for the first time trying to attack her physically. Lucca instinctively kicked at the advancing figure, shoving her foot high in the air. Miraculously, the heel of her heavy boot rammed straight into the epicene's face. The force of the blow threw the magician tumbling down onto the stone floor. With a loud thud, the man-woman's head smacked against the stone and only silence followed. The graceful body was no longer moving; Flea was out for the count, at least temporarily.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Lucca collapsed onto the bed, breathing heavily. What an annoying s/he! Not only was Flea creepy in some odd, sleazy way, but to get so pissed off because of...

Staring at the arched ceiling, Lucca blinked suddenly.

..._get off Maou-sama's bed_...

..._Maou's-sama's bed_...

"Ack!" She leapt high into the air, tumbling down to the floor right next to the fallen magician. Her head snapped back towards the bed and she half-expected the dark mage to rip out from the shadows behind it. But the room was silent and empty, no evil warlocks lurking around.

Stupid Lucca, she chastised herself, her hand up on her chest where her heart was doing some very irrational flip-flops. It was silly and childish of her to lose her cool because of a simple bed. After all, even dark mages bent on exterminating humanity had to sleep somewhere, didn't they? But, she frowned, why was it so empty here...?

Pushing her glasses up, she inspected the large room carefully. It was dark inside, the faint moonlight seeping through the glass-less arching window was the sole source of light, but even with the limited visibility one thing was plainly obvious. Apart from the bed and the heavy curtains, there was nothing in the room. No furniture, no decorations, not even a candle.

Although... Something dark under the bed caught her eye and she crouched down, her face nearly pressed against the cold floor. Reaching past the carved bed-leg, she felt around for the object, a book as she was guessing. Just as her fingers were about to touch the thick cover, a random thought popped into her mind uninvited: What if it was cursed like the sword Frog told Crono not to touch...? Rubbish, she chided irately and clasped her hand firmly around the book. There, she thought straightening up, nothing happened. She was still in her own body and still of her own mind.

Casting Flea a check up look to see if the magician was still incapacitated – s/he was – she got up and moved closer to the window, to inspect the book with the help of the moonlight. How odd, she thought, flipping through the pages. Despite her half-conscious expectations, it was not some satanistic bible or a villain handbook. In the ghastly light of the moon it was impossible to read the ornate print, but the colorful and intricate illustrations made the contents quite obvious. It was a fairytale compilation.

The find was so utterly incongruous with her mental image of the mage that she could only stare at it with a frown. Somehow, during their stealthy infiltration of the gothic castle her previous mocking notions of a quaint cottage and bunny slippers had flown out of the window and now it seemed downright absurd to her that the owner of the unsettlingly grim fortress would read fairytales when tucked in for the night.

A distant outcry made her jump up in surprise and her eyes shot up towards the exit. That's right, out in the corridor Crono and Frog were still fighting with Slash! Now was not the time to ponder Magus' odd choice of bedtime reading. But... She looked down to the book in her hand pensively, curiosity burning bright within her. Snapping the book shut, she pushed it into her bag, right next to her own thick tome, and headed towards the open door to leave the bizarrely empty bedroom.

But in the doorway a new thought occurred to her and she turned back to Flea, frowning. Right now Flea was out of their way, but it would be best if the state continued for as long as possible. Killing an unconscious opponent was a very grim option, but there were other means to keep the gender-confused magician out of their hair.

The solution came to her quickly and she marched back towards the curtains. The dark-yellow tieback ropes were the exact thing she needed. Disentangling them from the heavy fabric, frivolous tassels included, she returned to the still unconscious magician. In the accompaniment of a small grunt of effort, Flea was rolled over to face the floor and then tied up like a calf during a rodeo show, all four limbs sticking into the air. It was harder to do than it seemed, Lucca learnt, but managed to nevertheless.

"There," she told the pink-haired s/he, "now you can 'play' all you want. ...With yourself, that is."

Wasting no more time, she walked back into the study and fished out her gun from under the table. The books lining the shelves and the papers scattered everywhere were a mighty temptation, but one look at a human skull that stood on the heavy desk and had a candle stuck on top was enough to restrain her urges. Alas, poor Horatio, she sighed and left the shadowy room.

Out in the corridor a crack of lighting joined the metallic sounds of sword combat, and another sharp outcry followed. Picking up her pace, she hurried towards her companions, but found that they were doing well enough on their own. At the top of the stairs, Slash was crouched down painfully, holding his bleeding side. His breathing was labored and his katana was lying on the floor far from his reach.

"Impossible...," he breathed, glaring at the two swordsmen who had overcome him. "But falling in the line of duty for Magus–" he edged back towards the stairs, "–leaves me few regrets!" Without prolonging his goodbye, he jumped over the banister and disappeared into the darkness of the staircase.

"No point in chasing him," Crono noted when Frog moved to follow the escaper, "let's better look for Magus. The night won't last forever."

"Yeah," Lucca agreed, "not to mention that he could be creating Lavos as we speak. But you guys could first use a Tonic or two."

Both Crono and Frog bore the unmistakable signs of heavy combat. Frog only had a few scratches, bruises and frost still biting onto his cape, but Crono had a deep gush running down his left arm and a similarly bleeding cut on the right thigh.

"Thou art right," Frog agreed, sheathing the Masamune. All three pulled out medicinal items and Lucca helped them apply the greenish goo to wherever needed.

Crono suppressed a whimper when the last needed portion of the sticky medicine made it onto his skin. "I really wish there was some better way to do healing..."

"I couldst heal thee," Frog offered, "but we shouldst save our magic for Magus."

"Yeah," Crono agreed. They had made it against Slash and Flea, but he still wasn't entirely sure how they were going to fare against Magus. Magic was indeed of essence. "Alright, let's search for some way up."

"I think I know where to look," Lucca replied, heading back into the corridor. On her way she had passed by a shape that looked like a steep spiraling staircase. Her companions followed, but not before Crono inconspicuously picked up Slash's discarded katana. It didn't turn him into anything and was too good a spoil to just leave it like that. Plus, without the katana Slash would be only half the trouble should he make a comeback.

"Say," Crono asked Frog, "isn't Ozzie the last of Magus' cronies? Shouldn't we be expecting him to make an appearance too?"

"Maybe he's still at Zenan Bridge?" Lucca suggested. "Plus, he's not much of a threat anyway, he can barely move under all that fat."

Frog shook his head. "Do not let his appearance deceive thee. He mayst be a weak fighter, but his magicks are strong. And he is shrewd and cunning, using deception and trickery to ensure victory."

"Sounds like he fits right in with Flea," Lucca commented, recalling the magician's underhanded hypnosis attempt. They reached the staircase, for it was indeed a narrow, spiral staircase, and climbed the stairs cautiously until heavy iron door loomed before them. Lucca drew a deep breath, turning to her companions. "Okay, this is it. Everybody ready?"

Frog and Crono nodded, their expressions somber. As far as preparations went they were ready, at least as ready as they could've become in such a limited time. All had weapons and magic, and they had divided medicinal items among themselves even before entering the undersea passage. There was nothing else to be done, except for passing by the door and doing their best to stop Magus, in whatever way possible.

Receiving confirmation, Lucca placed her hand on the heavy metal handle and pushed it down. For a split second she considered that the door might be locked. After all, if she was Magus, she'd make sure nobody disturbed her. But the engraved iron surface yielded with a soft whine of the hinges. Slowly, Lucca peered into the room through the crack of the open door.

"Anything...?" Crono whispered behind her.

"Nope, it's only a vestibule or something like that." Her palm flat on the cold iron, she pushed the door fully open and the small room behind it came fully into their view. Even though there was no mage inside, it was clear that they had reached the top of the tower. The conic ceiling disappeared in the shadows far above their heads, held up by two massive pillars. Faint moonlight trickled from the narrow window and behind it the dark mass of the sea waved off into the horizon.

As they slunk towards the tall and wide door on the opposite wall, Lucca noticed a distinct change in the atmosphere. The shadows and silence were heavy on the floors below, almost oppressive in their intensity, but here something else, something new, coiled in the darkness around them. It was as if the very air was trying to pressure down on them, to crush the perpetrators who sought to disperse the darkness. Grimacing, she flexed her fingers, trying to shed off the odd tingle prickling her skin.

Ahead, Frog placed a gloved hand on a wing of the tall door and turned to his companions with an unspoken question in his eyes. Crono and Lucca nodded their readiness and the door yielded silently, exposing the true innards of the tower's summit. They slithered inside wordlessly.

The darkness blinded them at first, so intense that it was nearly fulgent, and even more oppressive and tangible than it had been below. Lucca felt her skin crawl slightly; a voice was entwined with the prowling darkness, low and discord, like a myriad of voices united into one dark sound. Evil mage casting his evil spells, what else, she told herself, trying to fight off the irrational shiver bristling up her spine.

Tightening his hold on the Masamune, Frog stepped further into the murky darkness, to follow the path outlined by the massive pillars that stretched forth from the entrance. Their senses alert and weapons ready, they carried on through the shadows and towards the eerie blue light ahead.

"Now the chosen time has come..."

Their steps faltered for a split second when the mage's voice slid through the darkness. Lucca blinked; the voice was no longer discord and unnatural. It was somehow both smooth and coarse and definitely masculine, but normal. Human.

The pillars, imposing and disappearing off into the shadows above, guided them deep into the room, to spread away into a ring around the dark heart of their charge. There, a crimson pattern shone eerily on the ground, intricate and numinous. Circles embraced circles, lines crossed with lines; a crimson seal pressed upon the black ground. Small blue flames quivered around it, pallid and wraithlike, unable to overcome the heavy darkness.

Their eyes locked on the foreboding figure within the esoteric circle. The mage. Shrouded in the darkness, he was but a dark outline against the feeble light of the eerie flames. His back was turned to them and they slowly crept closer, their blood pounding in anticipation and unease. Only brighter streaks of long light-colored hair stood out among the shadows, but the quivering blue flames gave off enough light to illuminate the mage's feet.

Lucca's grip on her gun momentarily loosened and her hand traveled up to her glasses as she stared at the sight in incredulity. The mage's feet, in heavy leather boots with metal ferrules, were hovering leisurely a foot above the ground... He was floating, as if suspended on invisible strings, defying the absoluteness of gravity with seemingly no effort...

"Exchange this world for...!"

"Magus!" Frog called out sharply, the blade of the Masamune cutting into the shadows between him and his enemy.

The feet shifted slightly in the quivering blue light and the mage's voice, deliberate and amused, rang in the room. "I...it's that stupid frog! Kissed any princess lately?"

Lucca felt her eye twitch lightly. Next to her, Crono's head turned to her slowly, his eyes as befuddled as hers had to be. What the hell...! Evil sorcerers about to destroy the world were not supposed to crack lame jokes and ruin the entire setting!

Only Frog seemed unaffected by the mage's unexpected turn of character. "I rather enjoy this form," he replied with a croak, "and I oweth it all to you! I have something for you!" The Masamune tolled metallically in his hands.

"Ah...," the smooth voice drawled in the darkness, "the Masamune! And I bet you're just dying to use it!"

The floating feet and the dark outline disappeared from their view in a faint rustle of cloth to reappear on the other end of the crimson circle. "Okay...," the mage said mockingly, "give me your best shot... If you're prepared for the void!" Two red points lit up within the darkness, blood-red stains against the shadow of the mage's face.

He was _not_ taking them seriously, Lucca realized just as Frog dived at the mage with a terse shout. The clash of metal against metal announced that the blow had been blocked. Lucca pushed up her glasses. This was going to be difficult. From afar, the mage was a barely discernible shadow, only his feet, illuminated by the eerie blue flames, were a decent indication of his position.

Next to her, energy crackled as Crono focused his magic into a strong lightning attack. When Frog jumped back after exchanging a few more blows with his enemy, lightning split the air. Moving with impossible speed, the mage dodged it by a hair's breadth and the red slits of his eyes ignited with surprise.

"You can use magic..."

"Aye," Frog replied, "we hath learnt it just for thee. Thy time hath cometh, Magus... Thou shalt pay for all thine crimes!"

"I'm shaking with fear," the mage's voice jeered in the shadows, "'Thou hath' grown even more amusing than before, bog-breath. Go on, entertain me!"

Frog stretched out his hands, gathering his magic. Suddenly, Lucca felt a tingle ran through the air, like a ripple of energy before a discharge. But Frog's attack quickly masked the odd sensation. Blue waves shot from his hands, laden with moisture, and arched towards the mage. The dark silhouette took the attack head on and they watched in befuddlement as the blue waves crashed against it harmlessly and dissipated without inflicting even one ounce of damage. Was he impervious to magic...? Or was Frog's attack just too weak...?

"Is it my turn now?" the smooth voice asked mockingly. Light grew in his outstretched hand, and they threw themselves off to the sides just as multiple lightning bolts split the shadows. Lucca almost made it behind a pillar when the thunderbolt slammed into her, with force that even ten of Flea's whirlwinds put together couldn't boast. The lightning ripped into her like a thousand knives and she was hurled into the air, her bag flailing against her hip. The crash against the stone floor added to the painful trembling of her muscles and the dark blotches dancing in her eyes. A pained gasp somewhere nearby told her that she wasn't the only one hit.

"Impressive," the mage's voice drawled leisurely, "you're still alive." The shadows quivered for a split second, as if a ripple had run through the air. "Let me rectify that for you!" His voice down nearly to a growl, he uttered words that had no meaning to their ears and magic shook the shadows.

There was only one term Lucca knew that could describe what happened then – agony. She was rammed back into the floor with relentless force; darkness blinded her, so complete that she could've been blinder even if her eyes had been gouged out. And every cell and organ of her body felt like it was being torn apart, shredded with force so immense that there seemed to be no end to it. Her mind was pierced with a scream that could not make it past her constricted throat and it echoed around her brain, rattling every neuron.

When the onslaught stopped, she was flat on her back gasping for air, her body shaking uncontrollably. Something warm and wet slid down past her lips and she raised a trembling hand to wipe it off. Blood.

A faint fizzle in the dark pushed her thoughts onto the right track. Forcing her body into obedience, she reached into her pocket arduously, pulling out the strongest Tonic she had. They only had two of those each, but without it, she wouldn't even be able to stand up. The liquid, much less gooey than the average Tonic, streamed down her throat, almost instantly restoring a great deal of her energy.

Collecting herself from the floor heavily, she edged back towards the eerie blue light and the dark silhouette. The desperate reality of their situation had just crashed onto her mind painfully and there was at least a dozen feet she should be chewing on at the moment. Magus was not only real, he was also as powerful as all nine circles of hell combined! But this was no time to be self-conscious. Suddenly she realized why the trees around the castle were dead and blackened and what caused the skin prickling feeling throughout the tower. It was a side effect of the power that had just nearly killed them, that would've killed them were they ordinary, unmagical humans.

Crono's feet appeared suddenly within the quivering blue light and the spike-haired boy slashed with his katana at the mage. Clash of metal resonated through the room along with an annoyed snarl, "Seems like you need more help with dying!" A momentary flurry of heat washed over them and after another clang of metal Crono was sent flying back by a powerful blast of fire. Something flickered in Lucca's mind.

"Thou shouldst worry more about thyself," Frog snapped, the Masamune arching towards the mage.

A tingle of a discharge, a ripple through the shadows, a flurry of heat. And no damage from water magic after the tingle. The elements merged in her mind, finally making sense. When Frog's feet hopped away from the mage's boots, she stretched out her hand and put the hypothesis to test. The flames roared towards the mage, too sudden for him to dodge. This time, the dark silhouette staggered with a vicious hiss. Frog wasted no time on questioning the success and lunged at the mage again. The crunch of steel ripping through something soft heralded the success of the strike, but there was a price tag attached. Cloth rustled, steel clanged and suddenly the Masamune flew right past Lucca's head and off into the darkness of the room.

"Not so tough now, eh, pond-hopper?" the mage snarled, the red slits of his eyes narrowed even further.

"Get away from him, Frog!" Lucca shouted, blasting fire at the dark outline again. "And get the Masamune!"

Frog rushed past her just as a tingle ran through the air. Lucca leapt behind a pillar hastily, already knowing what was about to happen. The lightning bolt crashed into the massive pillar and a sharp outcry nearby told her that Crono had been hit. Holy hell, she gasped, covering her head as the pillar exploded and large chunks of rock were hurled through the air above her, covering her in dust. Either the mage just got pissed off or just got a boost to his powers!

"If you're done, you know where the door is, I'm rather busy here," the smooth voice sneered in the darkness and Lucca's eyes narrowed in the general direction of the boots and their shadowed owner. No, they were not done! And he was still not taking them seriously! But that was actually an advantage. If he reached for the big guns and that flesh crushing attack again, they wouldn't last much longer.

Further down the aisle of pillars Crono was groaning painfully, trying to lift himself off the ground, as it seemed. Lucca opened her mouth to yell at him to move it and use lightning while the mage was still on that elemental barrier, but closed it again promptly. As long as the mage didn't know they had figured it out, they had even more of an advantage. Casting a quick look towards where Frog was shuffling about to retrieve the Masamune, she jumped out from behind the pillar and made a dash towards Crono.

Another lightning split the air, missing her in mid jump by an inch. The thunderbolt crashed into another pillar, and this time not only this one exploded but also the one behind it, as if the mage's powers were growing. She skidded to a halt next to Crono and pulled him by the scruff of his tunic to hide behind the pillar on the other side of the pathway. Across, the Masamune jangled in the darkness, finally retrieved, and another realization split through her head.

"Frog, keep him busy for a while!" she shouted as she pulled out a Tonic to restore Crono. "And whatever you do, don't let go of the Masamune!"

Whether Frog agreed or not, she didn't know, but the purpose of the Masamune finally made itself clear in her mind. It was not to cut the mage, no, he was just as corporeal as they were and any weapon could harm him. But the moment the Masamune was away from him, his powers grew, as if they had been restrained by the presence of the sword before. _That_ was why the sword was said to be the only thing that could bring Magus down – because otherwise the attacker would be dead before he got close enough to strike a blow.

Steel clashed against steel as Frog put the Masamune to use again. "Crono," Lucca said as her friend sat up, healed somewhat by the medicine, "attack him with lightning _only_ when you feel a tingle in the air! It's useless otherwise!"

"A tingle...?" Crono questioned, shaking his still dazed head.

"A tingle, like a faint discharge of electricity," she explained impatiently. "He can hide behind some kind of barrier, that's why Frog's attack didn't work. Only the magic that he uses can harm him and it's easy to tell in advance by that faint sort of an afterglow in the air. Didn't you feel it?"

Crono's eyes looked to her with concentration through the shadows. "Yeah, I think I did... So when it's a lightning tingle, whack him with lightning?"

"Exactly!" Lucca agreed emphatically. "Now, come on, let's go help Frog!"

Getting up, she crept back towards the eerie blue light of the flames, where the clash of steel indicated ongoing combat. Her bag hit her hip again as she moved in a crouch and she pulled the strap over head in annoyance. The bag was heavy and useless at the moment and she chucked it behind a pillar on the way. It was slowing her down and she was not too fast to begin with.

"Whack him now," she whispered, turning back to Crono, "He's probably still on lightning!"

The thunderbolt split the darkness just as Frog jumped back from an attack. Judging by the stagger of the feet in the feeble blue light, Lucca's guess was correct.

"Annoying brats," the mage's voice snarled and fire blazed forth towards them right after a small wave of heat. They scattered about, trying to hide behind the pillars. The mage's magic was back to a bearable although undeniably painful level now that the Masamune was nearby again. Peeking out from behind the pillar, Lucca shot her own fire blast at the dark silhouette. And that's how she remained for a span of time that seemed to stretch into eternity; cowering in hiding and shooting fire when the mage used fire and shooting bullets to distract him when Crono and Frog were attacking with swords. Whether any of the bullets actually hit the target was doubtful considering the darkness in the room, but the technique seemed to be working fine as a distraction.

But just as she fired again and the Masamune clashed against the scythe, another question popped into her mind. Why wasn't Magus using that horrid attack that nearly wiped them out at first? Not that she wished he did, but it seemed illogical. One or two more and they'd be down for good. It couldn't be that he didn't have enough magic for another one, he kept dishing out lightning and fire and not even once did she hear the unmistakable fizzle of an ether being used. Then why...?

As if answering her question, a ripple ran through the shadows and the world crashed down onto her with agonizing pain. She writhed on the floor, her mind torn apart by the unvoiced scream of anguish, her body shredded into an incongruent mass of quaking cells. The torment stopped just as her consciousness was about to collapse into darkness. Black spots dimmed her vision and her body just wouldn't move, except for the shallow and painful intakes of breath. He'll finish them off now, she thought idly, feeling strangely detached from her last moments in life. This was the end of the road.

Time stretched agonizingly yet nothing happened. Her senses slowly began returning and she could hear the pained groans and heavy breathing of her companions. But no attack. Lifting her hand that seemed to weight a ton, she reached into her pocket for the one remaining strongest Tonic. No time to look the gift horse in the mouth, she thought dazedly, pouring the liquid down her throat.

When she lifted herself off the ground heavily and glanced towards their opponent, the reason for the lack of attack became clearer. Gloved hands joined the feet within the eerie light of the slowly dying out blue flames. Heavy breathing that matched their own rustled in the shadows. The mage was finally overcome, probably having finally ousted himself of energy.

Leaning heavily against a pillar, she looked to her companions. Crono and Frog had too taken their last strong Tonics and were gathering themselves laboriously from the floor. She glanced back to the crouched down figure beyond the blue flames.

'..._to make sure that Magus would never create Lavos, we'd have to kill him, not just defeat him_...'

Crono's words from what seemed like ages ago circled her mind. The mage was down, at least temporarily. Now they had to kill him. There was hardly any honor in that but the equation was simple. His life or the lives of millions in the future. She didn't even need to recall the image of the red wasteland and darkened skies to know that there was only one possible answer to the question. But that didn't make the sour aftertaste of the decision any lesser...

Crono rose to his feet next to her and she glanced to him, to see her thoughts reflected on his face. Could they do it...? Could they righteously execute him for denying people their right to live...?

The Masamune tolled in the darkness behind Crono, and Frog moved forward towards the crimson ring and the still heavily breathing mage.

"Prepare thyself, Magus," he said slowly, taking another step closer to the crouched down silhouette.

An odd shudder suddenly shook the tower, like a sigh of some monstrous beast. The lighter patch of the mage's head snapped up just as another quake rumbled all around them. This time, it was not a sigh, it was a roar. The floor danced under their feet, the weakened pillars crumbled and dust rained down from the ceiling.

"Bad timing...!" the mage breathed, suddenly jumping back to his feet and turning his back to them, "Don't wake up on me now!"

Lucca blinked, holding on to the pillar as the tower shook again. "Wake up...? Lavos...! Didn't you _create_ him?"

The dark silhouette shifted irritably. "Fools! I only summoned him! He lives in the inner earth, absorbing the land's power and growing ever stronger!"

Before any of them could voice their astonishment, the mage's voice began whispering odd, incomprehensible words and a wave of energy hit them. It was skin-crawling and nauseating, faintly resembling the attack that had hit them but a few minutes prior. He was trying to control Lavos, Lucca realized just as the tower quaked again and a few chunks of rock fell down from the pillar she was holding onto. And she also realized another thing. If Magus was summoning Lavos, _not_ creating him, and they had interrupted him, then a part of his powers must've been still engaged elsewhere during the fight. She felt bizarrely grateful for it, but then another wave of the dark energy hit her and she doubled over slightly.

"What's going on...?" Frog asked, taking a step back as the tower shook violently again.

Before Lucca could reply, a disturbingly familiar blue whirl grew behind the mage, peeling out from the darkness the back of a blue-haired head and pointed ears.

"A G, Gate!" Lucca gasped in incredulity. The Gate was larger than any other they had encountered before by at least three feet in diameter. She felt her feet being pulled towards the whirl and frantically latched onto the pillar. "It's going to draw us in! Grab onto something!"

With a thwack of metal against stone both Crono and Frog tried to stop their slide by ramming their swords into the floor. Lucca held onto the pillar with all her strength, but her hands were progressively slipping off the smooth surface. Unless the Gate dissipated soon, they were going to be pulled in!

"You," the mage snarled, "if you hadn't shown up...!"

The feel of the dark energy intensified and Lucca's stomach churned. Damn it! The pillar was slipping from her grasp; next to her Crono's katana slid out of the stone and with a strangled cry the boy was thrown towards the whirl. Lucca's head turned after her friends form and her hands slipped off the pillar.

"Ahhhhh!" She was flying straight into the still standing mage and flapped her hands in a desperate attempt to avoid the collision but to no avail. Pulled in by the immense power of the gate, she smacked right into him and her head banged against the blue-haired scalp with enough force to rattle her brains.

So he really did have 'flowing hair', she thought incoherently as the body she had smacked into yielded and all four of them were hurled into the whirling Gate. And then darkness closed over her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Phew! I wouldn't have been more exhausted even if I had just given birth to an elephant! Which is why the chapter ended sooner than I intended, I wanted to include their awakening, but I'm too dead tired to bother with proper closure.

Anyway, since it was such a massive effort (especially since I've never written such a huge amount of action before... or much of any action for that matter), I would like to ask the readers for honest opinions. To make it easier, I'll specify what I'm interested in.

1. Did the introduction, i.e. everything before the fight with Flea and Slash drag? Did you feel compelled to skip it or actually skipped it?

2. Were the descriptions of the scenery and setting helpful to visualize the thing or were they too much?

3. And of course – was the fight with Magus easy to follow and enjoyable?

Please, don't hesitate to tell me what you found to be ill-written or off! Even a biting critique can be more useful than just simple praise.

Oh, and I know I made them fight practically in the dark, ergo never get to see Magus properly, but trust me, it's a very useful plot contrivance ;) And if Flea came off as weird, then all is well, since it will be explained later on.


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